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90,00,000. Or, 9 million. That’s the female births that went “missing” between 2000 and 2019 owing to female-selective abortions*. To set into context, the entire Delhi had a female citizenry of less than 8 million in 2011. From the ashes of the sin that is female foeticide, we might have created a New Delhi that is new in name and ideology – a sincere attempt at Matrubhoomi.

Manish Jha’s “Matrubhoomi: A Nation Without Women” (2003) welcomes the viewers into a village that took things to an extreme. When a girl is born, she is killed right at that instant. No consent, no deliberation, simply death. The celebration bells swiftly change into cries of help and distress. Naïve babies don’t know what’s going to happen with them, and ignorant fathers don’t comprehend what they are bringing onto themselves. Only the mothers, however scarce and helpless, are able to grasp the reality of these decisions.

This Gritty Village Drama Is Opposite Of Panchayat(Photo Credit –Prime Video)

After three much-loved seasons, Panchayat Season 4 has finally arrived on Amazon Prime Video. The village-set series, often called a modern version of Malgudi Days, is widely admired for its rustic charm, simple storytelling, and relatable characters.

But if you’re in the mood for a hard-hitting, dystopian rural drama with intense performances and a powerful message, here’s something different. This critically acclaimed film is the complete opposite of Panchayat’s feel-good humour. On the contrary, it’s a disturbing and brutal take on a serious social issue. So, viewer discretion is strongly advised. Read on to find out what this film is and where it is available to watch online.

The Film That’s The Complete Opposite Of Panchayat

We are talking about the 2003 dystopian drama Matrubhoomi: A Nation Without Women. Directed by Manish Jha, the film...

On May 26, when the 66th Cannes film festival draws to an end, India will anxiously wait to see if either Monsoon Shootout or Dabba will bring home a Camera d’Or, the award given to the best debut film in the festival. Ritesh Batra’s Dabba which played in the International Critics’ Week won an audience award-the Grand Rail d’Or-following unanimous praise by the critics and the audiences.

While we wait, let’s go down in the annals of history to know about the Indian films that won awards at the premier film festival. Although they might seem like a rare and exquisite breed, there are actually quite a few of them starting from the very first edition of Cannes.

At the inaugural edition of the festival in 1946, Chetan Anand’s Neecha Nagar screened in competition and shared the Grand Prix with several other films. The top award-now Palme...