Matrubhoomi: A Nation Without Women (2003) Reviews

• Splendid movie

  amoskumar2005-06-26

  I caught this movie a year ago during a special film festival screening. It will one of the movies that I will not forget anytime soon. It came as a surprise during the opening credits that the makers of the film normally make mainstream Hindi films. But the movie contains none of your typical song-dance routine. The movie starts by showing the Indian culture in villages where males are prized assets while women are seen as a curse. But it very wisely reverses the roles, where in a village no more women are to be found and it is only inhabited by males. The wild search for a bride begins thereafter and one can only imagine the savage side of the male species rears its ugly head. A must catch film. Waiting for it to be released on mainstream or on DVD.

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• one of the better movies to come out this year

  Sumeet_Pradhan2005-09-29

  The title 'matrubhoomi' is an apt satirical name from this hard-hitting movie on female infanticide. The movie is based on a fictional, futuristic rural area in India where there is a dearth of fairer sex. The story revolves around Kalki, one of the very few surviving young women and her ordeals in such a dysfunctional society. Tulip Joshi has delivered a very restraint performance. Her suppressed character doesn't speak much but does have a lot to say. Joshi with her subtle facial expression has done that with total perfection. She could had ruined it easily by giving a loud shrieking/screaming act.The director is also to be given credit for it.In an era when some actress' 'Charlie Chaplin' act is winning all accolades, its unfortunate that this wonderful performance went unnoticed..The rest of the cast has also done a good job. The first time director Manish Jha has done a remarkable.He never gets carried and not allowed the movie to go loud at any instance.The innovative script is quite gripping and never goes astray. The rustic look of rural India is very realistically captured in the camera. On the negative side, one may feel that the violent developments towards the end of the movie was bit overdone but then its difficult to predict how lowly man can go under extreme conditions. Another good point is that the extreme sexual violence is implied but not graphical.Overall a good, hard-hitting, must watch movie though certain sections of audience may not identify with the movie because of its gloomy, 'not so feel good' nature.

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• A Nation Without Women .... A Hell Created By Men?

  Chrysanthepop2008-08-07

  'Matrubhoomi: A Nation Without Women' is one of the most disturbing Hindi films. It presents several taboo issues and graphic images such as: A graphic image of child being drowned in milk (female infanticide), gang-rape, serial rape, a Hindu priest engaging in a homosexual affair, incest, polygamous marriage, human slaughter, bestiality and frontal nudity. I'm surprised that it didn't create much controversy considering the subject matter. Actually, I wish it did because then more people would have watched it. It has a relevant message, especially to those who oppose having female infants and women's rights. It's one of the bravest pieces of Indian cinema indeed but I wonder what director Manish Jha's intentions were were. Probably he wanted to get his message through to those many who see their daughters as burdens. Nevertheless, he tells his story well and a majority of audience will stay in shock long after the end credits have rolled. It doesn't leave a good taste but it shouldn't. Many people seem to criticize the film for being regressive but that is a ridiculous statement. In a country where even some of the biggest celebrities and leaders express their preference for a male child, one can only wonder how people who look up to them feel. Tulip Joshi gives a restrained heartbreaking performance. The audience really empathizes with her character's agony and it really requires a fine actress to play such a difficult part and a newcomer like Joshi does a superb job. The rest of the cast is adequate. 'Matrubhoomi' is thought provoking and requires a lot of courage from the audience but it is an important film that should be seen. Kudos to Manish Jha and his crew for taking such a risk. One of the bravest pieces of recent Indian cinema.

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• One of the most beautiful movies of Indian Cinema

  sandeep1382006-04-27

  A movie with a lesson. The movie is not just "art-lovers" movie but overall an extra-ordinary. The direction, the sequences, the acting. Everything is so refined that it does not let you move out of your seat. Some reasons why you would not watch this movie: 1. Not a family movie (because of usage of obnoxious language and scenes which are of course required) 2. Not a "feel-good" movie(Need strong heart to watch the movie). Reasons why you would watch this movie: 1. Feel the profoundness of India Cinema. 2. Unrivaled performances by characters. 3. Superb direction, editing, sequences and all the behind screen things. 4. Watching a complete movie. 5. Know better the consequences of decreasing sex ratio. One of very rare films which covers such a crucial topic so effectively. The performance of each character, starting from lead actors like Sushant Singh, Sudhir Pandey, Piyush Mishra to even the 'dai' is too natural. It would not be wrong to say that it is rare to find such performances. I personally rate the performances higher than that of Black which claim to be one of the best movies of Bollywood. Finally, I shall say a must watch movies. I am happy that this movie is going to release in 6 languages. No wonder this movie has been awarded with many international awards and ranked as Top Ten movies for the year.

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• Standing Ovation Please!!!

  oliaanwer2006-03-15

  When I looked at the grim looking cover I expected the film to be a bit depressing but after watching it I was jolted and can still feel the goose bumps thinking about it. Story Line The premise is set in a town in futuristic India where there is a shortage of women due to ill-practices done in the past. There is an affluent family of the so-called upper cast which constitutes of a father and his five young sons who cant find a suitable bride anywhere in the village or near by villages.They seek help from a pundit who stumbles upon a rare beauty (Kalki) during one of his visits to a near by village and then he and the father of the sons pay a hefty sum to the girl's father to strike a atrocious deal where by Kalki gets married to the five sons at the same time. When the only person Kalki finds solace in is murdered she writes to her father to come and save,he arrives but leaves when given some more money to invest in his new business. The reaction to the visit enrages the family and they beat her blue, by this time Kalki decides she has had enough and with the help of the house servant decides to escape and gets caught midway and the poor servant is chopped in to pieces by one of the brothers.Kalki is then chained and raped repeatedly by practically every one in the village including the low caste which results in her pregnancy, that's when the whole village erupts in a huge fireball with more than one person claiming to be the father. The end result is stark and blood soaked. All the producers should be applauded for investing money in a movie which has no hope of making money at least in India where you need big stars,fake emotions to generate public interest. Secondly for the director for raw story telling with great sensitivity and command. The whole movie is a amalgamation of metaphors which have been sometime used controversially like the lewd act with the cow and making the pundit drink urine. Also the director tries to show that not all men are same and do respect women such as the youngest brother, the old servant and the new one, which shows that the future is bright. The director quoted in one of the interviews that no body wanted to play the female lead, sometimes blessings come in sweet disguises, Tulip Joshi sinks her teeth into this author backed role and portrays all emotions with élan. She looks ethereal and even glows when lying lifeless.It's a shame that a performance like this goes totally UN noticed,where as loud shrieking and Charlie Chaplin walks are showered with accolades. All the other cast was as brilliant as u can get.Even the director deserved a special mention but I guess if u are not a cut and paste director u stand no chance.The cinematography elevates the movie to a new dimension, the stale look depicts the sickness of the society and the lighting is bleak and dull throughout and changes once Kalki is about to bring a new life in this world. The editing is top notch and the background music proves once again the talent of Salim-Suleiman. Even though I am not an Indian I still have huge interest in the film industry and would like to make a sincere plea to all the producers in the industry to cultivate this kind of talent. I applaud Manish Jha and his team for making such enthralling piece of art. Hoping that u will serve us something as delectable in the near future. One final for Boney Kapoor and Sri Devi Kapoor, I had lost faith in you when I saw your name linked to NO ENTRY(I guess u do need your rice bowl full to give support to emerging talents). Welcome Back Sir and thank you for backing such a gem.

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