Rudaali
| Rudaali | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover of Rudaali. | |
| Directed by | Kalpana Lajmi |
| Written by | Mahasweta Devi (story) Gulzar |
| Produced by | Ravi Gupta Ravi Malik |
| Starring | Dimple Kapadia Raakhee Amjad Khan |
| Music by | Bhupen Hazarika |
Release date | 1993 |
Running time | 128 min. |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
Rudaali is a 1993 Hindi film directed by the feminist Indian director Kalpana Lajmi, based on the short story written by famous Bengali litterateur Mahasweta Devi.
Cultural background
The title is a reference to a custom in certain areas of Rajasthan where women of a lower caste are hired as professional mourners upon the death of upper-caste males. These women are referred to as a "rudaali" (roo-dah-lee), literally translated as "female weeper" or "weeping woman".[1] Their job is to publicly express grief of family members who are not permitted to display emotion due to social status. See Placebo_(at_funeral)#Indian_equivalent.
Plot
The film is set in a small village in Rajasthan, India. It tells the story of a woman named Shanichari, who was abandoned by her mother shortly after her father's death. Bad fortune follows as she marries an alcoholic, who leaves her with little hope of a brighter future for herself and her mentally challenged son.
Throughout Shanichari's lifetime of misfortune she has never cried. This creates great difficulty once she is called to become a rudaali until Bhinkni, an experienced mourner, enters her life.[2] Shanichari and the local landlord's son fall in love with each other, but Shanichari is reluctant to ask the rich lover for money as she does not want to lower her love even for the sake of getting out of poverty and misery.
Awards and honors
Dimple Kapadia won a National Film Award for her role of Shanichari in the film. The film also features Raakhee, Raj Babbar and Amjad Khan in one of his last films. Khan died before the film's release, and the film is dedicated to him in the beginning credits. Samir Chanda won National Film Award for Best Art Direction. Simple Kapadia won the National Film Award for Best Costume Design.
Soundtrack
The film has music by Bhupen Hazarika, a legendary folk musician and a mass singer. Songs like 'Dil Hoom Hoom Kare' and 'Jhuti Mooti Mitwa' are considered one of the finest examples of Hindi film incorporating Hindustani musical tradition in Bollywood.
All lyrics are written by Gulzar; all music is composed by Bhupen Hazarika
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Dil Hoom Hoom Kare (Part-1)" (Raga: Bhoopali) | Lata Mangeshkar | |
| 2. | "Dil Hoom Hoom Kare (Part-2)" (Raga: Bhoopali) | Bhupen Hazarika | |
| 3. | "Jhuti Mooti Mitwa aavan bole" (Raga: Vrindavani Sarang) | Lata Mangeshkar | |
| 4. | "Samay O Dhire Chalo (Part-1)" (Raga: Bhimpalasi) | Asha Bhosle | |
| 5. | "Samay O Dhire Chalo (Part-2)" (Raga: Bhimpalasi) | Bhupen Hazarika | |
| 6. | "Moula O Moula" | Bhupen Hazarika | |
| 7. | "Samay O Dhire Chalo (Part-3)" (Raga: Bhimpalasi) | Lata Mangeshkar |
References
External links
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