Among the latest women-centric movies, Parched can be hailed as one of the best dramas. Directed by Leena Yadav under Ajay Devgan FFilms, Parched is a soul-stirring tale of three women dwelling in a distant village of Rajasthan. They continue to struggle with the tantrums of the patriarchal society of the village plagued by an array of social evils and age-old traditions encompassing child marriage, dowry, marital rapes and physical and mental abuse. In this movie, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Radhika Apte and Surveen Chawla, all three are protagonists and deliver second to none acting. The humorous element evoked by Bijli (Surveen Chawla) is like a pinch of salt in the spicy veggie.
The thought-provoking concerns depicted by this movie are unfortunately still prevalent in Indian society, not merely in rural areas but even in well-educated families too. In Lajjo’s (Tannishtha Chatterjee) life there is an emptiness of married life as her husband died long back. Her son treats himself as the Man of the house. At a very young age, he begins to visit prostitutes and gets indulged in the bad company. Even after marriage, he does not give up his bad company and rather plummets deeply into the bad company.
Rani (Radhika Apte) is childless and hence is labelled as the ‘banjh’ in society. She is also a victim of domestic violence. Provoked by Bijli, she strives to conceive by mating with another man and she becomes pregnant, proving that it was her husband not her was infertile.
Bijli (Surveen Chawla) is an erotic dancer in a local entertainment company who also works as a prostitute. She is despised by women of the society and is looked down on at auspicious events. However, as a friend of Lajjo and Rani, she adds joy and colour to their lacklustre life. Surveen has done complete justice with her challenging role and the other two protagonists too do not lag anywhere.
A must watch for offbeat movie enthusiasts!
