Death Sentence

This conspiracy thriller kicks like a frenzied mule. After an introduction in the style of a news report, on the sponsored village murder of a 22-year-old widow, it turns abruptly into a convoluted faux political documentary, detailing the networks of business, religious and familial ties that form the dense mass of upper caste politics in Bilaspur. It's a world rife with corruption, avarice, sabotage - and misogyny. New recruit Vinay tries to play the game, using his bride Ketki's dowry to sign a quarry contract with local government businessmen, despite Ketki's pleas that they won't play fair. So the bride (Dixit) and her sister-in-law Chandravati (Azmi, commanding) take a stand, whereupon all the weight of entrenched male power mobilises against them.