Daayraa (1997)
- Directed by
- Amol Palekar
- Genre
- LGBTQ-related film
- Country
- India
- Runtime
- 1h 47m
- Rating
- 4.8 of 10 from 4 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
A transvestite dancer and a woman who survived a gang rape form an unexpected bond. They both start dressing in ways that challenge traditional gender roles. The story explores their relationship and how society views them.
poignantthought-provokingsocially-awareunconventionalemotionally-resonantslow-burncharacter-drivenunderstated
What happens
Daayraa (translation: The Square Circle; sometimes spelled as Daayra) is a 1996 Bollywood film, directed by Amol Palekar, starring Nirmal Pandey and Sonali Kulkarni. The screenplay was by award-winning journalist and novelist, Timeri N. Murari. Exploring themes such as male-female relationships, preconceived notions of love, and social attitudes toward them, the plot involves a romantic relationship between a transvestite dancer and a gang raped woman who begins to dress up like a man. Due to its sensitive themes, the film was not released theatrically in India. The film was the first in Palekar's trilogy on sexuality; Anahat (2003) and Thaang (2006) followed it. Daayraa was received well by critics upon its DVD release. Anupama Chopra wrote, "The film challenges gender roles and traditional ideas of love through witty and moving performances." She added, "Daayraa also has terrific music by Anand-Milind. However, you will have to get past some clumsy direction, terrible background music and glaring lapses in continuity." The Time magazine called Daayraa one of the best films of 1996, saying: "The Indian musical at its delirious best. On the eve of her marriage, a young woman is abducted by a brothel madam and escapes into the arms of an out of work male Diva. He dresses as a woman, she as a man in Amol Palekar's song-and-dance comic melodrama." (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)
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Randu Pen Kuttikal (1978)- More like this film, on a shelf you can walk up to.It's the lit case on the top shelf.