Rudaali (1993)
- Original title
- रुदाली
- Directed by
- Kalpana Lajmi
- Genre
- drama film
- Country
- India
- Runtime
- 2h 08m
- Rated
- U
- Rating
- 4.7 of 10 from 10 voters
- Elsewhere
- IMDb
The catalogue in 3D
The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.
How it feels
In a small village in Rajasthan, a lonely woman who has endured a life of hardship and loss finds she cannot cry. She takes a job as a professional mourner, which forces her to confront her own feelings.
slow-burnmelancholicbleakunsettlingpoignantquietly intenseintrospectiveearthy
What happens
Rudaali (pronounced "roo-dah-lee"; transl. Female weeper) is a 1993 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Kalpana Lajmi, written by Lajmi and Gulzar and based on a 1979 short story of the same name by Bengali author Mahasweta Devi. Set in a small village in Rajasthan, the film stars Dimple Kapadia as Shanichari, a lonely and hardened woman who, despite a lifetime of misfortune and abandonment, is unable to express grief through crying and is challenged with a new job as a professional mourner. Raakhee, Raj Babbar, and Amjad Khan appear in supporting roles. Produced by the National Film Development Corporation of India and Doordarshan, the film was labelled part of India's neo-realist parallel cinema, but it employed several of the common elements of mainstream Hindi cinema, including songs composed by Bhupen Hazarika. Rudaali was a critical and unexpected commercial success. Particular critical praise was directed at Kapadia's performance, with further appreciation of the film's script, music, technical achievements, and Lajmi's direction. The film won three National Film Awards, including Best Actress for Kapadia, and was nominated for three Filmfare Awards, earning Kapadia a Critics Award for Best Performance. Kapadia won Best Actress honours at the 8th Damascus International Film Festival and the 38th Asia-Pacific Film Festival, where Hazarika was awarded for his music. The film was selected as the Indian entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 66th Academy Awards, but was not nominated. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
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Sarovaram (1993)
Oru Kadankatha Pole (1993)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.