Pratha
- A Debut Film
Pratha
is directed and produced by Raaja Bundela,
who has been known as an actor on the small
and big screens. Of late, he had started
producing and directing TV serials like
Mujhe Chaand Chahiye (Zee TV). Pratha is
his debut film.
The film is based on a true story, the locale
being the banks of the Betwa in Bundelkhand,
Uttar Pradesh. It is a reflection of the
tradition-bound, male-
 |
|
Ninni
Pandey, the priest, in Pratha
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dominated
society in the backward regions of the country.
Deepak and Leela are newly-married. The
village sarpanch and the priest of the local
temple cast their evil eyes on her. They
strike a deal with their drunkard uncle.
In order to save herself from them she lifts
the temple deity's trishul and to scare
away the attackers she declares to have
become a devil, locally known as Maa Choksa,
like the more widely known Durga. The sarpanch
and the pujari turn the tables on her by
announcing to the whole village that the
real Goddess resides in Leela's body and
confine her within the precincts of the
temple.
The rest of the drama is Deepak's struggle
to rescue his wife from the clutches of
the evil-minded priest. Helping him is Sua,
a middle-aged woman pandering to his wishes
in the hope of getting a child from him,
because she is childless.
|
Aashney
Saraf as Leela
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Though
the priest Ninny Pandey is an alias for
a criminal who has committed four murders
and is a fugitive from law, the film fails
to show the logical thing, that the police
finally ferret him out. Presumably, they
must have been on his lookout. Taken in
by the temptation to go in for crowd scenes
and mass lynching of the culprits, Bundela
falls for illogicality. This is a clear
indictment of the police of the area.
Besides this unwise choice, he opts for
an end which appears contrived. The end
negates whatever positive impact he may
have wanted to make on the society.
-by
A Correspondent
May 6, 2002
