feminist thriller and fresco of contemporary Indian society

Presented in the Un Certain Regard selection at the 77th edition of the Cannes Film Festival, the film “Santosh”, directed by Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, is released in theaters on Wednesday.

Hailed as a “a gripping and powerfully feminist thriller” (Time Out) and like “a lesson in subtlety” (IndieWire), Santosh brings to the screen a twisting tale of misogyny and police brutality in a small town in India. In theaters Wednesday, July 17, the film has been the subject of very good reviews since its presentation in May.

The director paints the portrait of an Indian woman who inherits her husband’s police position after he dies in the line of duty. “The starting point of the film was the idea of ​​a documentary on violence against women in India, but it evolved into something bigger, a fresco of society, a look at the kind of place where these questions are pending,” explains Indian director Sandhya Suri to AFP in Cannes, where her feature film was presented in Un Certain Regard.

“It was a film that had to feel real to an Indian audience, not just a film aimed at the West,” she explains. So this is a story “difficult and complex” to receive for many people in her country, recognizes the filmmaker, whose first concern was the way the police, especially the officers she is familiar with, would look at her Santosh.

India has many great filmmakers, but it is often difficult for them to find an outlet, lamented Sunita Rajwar and Shahana Goswami, the heroines of the film. “In India, cinema is seen primarily as entertainment, and so it is driven by economics. Independent films are very difficult to make, even if they are cheap,” explains the latter who plays the role of the young policewoman. Santosh puts “a mirror to the world around us in India without pointing fingers”, she rejoiced.

Sunita Rajwar, who plays the role of the oldest and most corrupt officer, enjoyed portraying this complex role. “We see his frustrations, his insecurities, his moments of happiness,” she told AFP. “She is also alone and she may know that what she is doing is wrong, but she does it anyway because there is no one to correct her.”

India had a great year at Cannes, with All We Imagine as Light by director Payal Kapadia which won the Grand Prix in the main competition.

Gender : Thriller
Director: Sandhya Suri
Actors: Sunita Rajwar, Shahana Goswami, Sanjay Bishnoi
Country : India
Duration : 2h08
Exit : July 17 2024
Distributer : High and short
Synopsis : A rural region in northern India. After the death of her husband, Santosh, a young woman, inherits his job and becomes a police officer as the law allows. When she is called to the scene of the murder of a young girl from a lower caste, Santosh finds herself plunged into a tortuous investigation alongside the charismatic Inspector Sharma, who takes her under her wing.