(Vinay Shukla, India 1999, 123 min., 35mm, Hindi with English subtitles)
Independent film darling Shabana Azmi stars in this crime drama that swept its six National Film Award nominations, including Best Hindi Feature and a fifth award for Azmi. Purportedly inspired by a real-life politician, Godmother follows Rambhi, a pregnant woman from a drought-seized village who moves to the city with her husband, Veeram (Milind Gunaji), who soon becomes embroiled in the underworld of graft and politicians. When Rambhi is forced to step in for her husband, she uncovers a ruthless part of herself that takes the underworld by storm.
35mm print from the George Eastman Museum collection.
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Film Screenings | Matinee: Mission Kashmir (35mm)
Filmi Fest 2000 Before his hero turn in the Krrish series a few years later, Hrithik Roshan plays the antagonist here, a man with a tragic backstory looking for revenge amidst the turmoil of India-Pakistan tensions.