Nishant is Shyam Benegal’s second film, again with Shabana Azmi surrounded by a wonderful cast (Girish Karnad, Naseeruddin Shah, Amrish Puri, Anant Nag, Mohan Agashe, Smita Patil…). Set in a not-too-distant age in an unspecified “feudal state”, Sushila, the wife of a teacher who has just arrived in the village, is kidnapped by the brotherhood of minor local lords who reign through terror, stealing the women they desire. The film is a dry, violent and terrible tragedy that seems to echo the very last shots of Ankur. Its characters are particularly well-depicted and the actress brings a thousand nuances to the inflexible throughline of a story that transforms oppression into rebellion and an outburst of blind anger. FM
SCREENINGS
LE CINÉMATOGRAPHE
SAT 16 > 4:45 pm
KATORZA
THU 21 > 1:15 pm, in the presence of Shabana Azmi
