Matrabhoomi - Film June 19, 2009

Matrabhoomi - Film. Directed by: Manish Jha. Matrabhoomi is an Indian film that was released in 2003. Directed by Manish Jha, this film examines the impact of female foeticide and female infanticide on the gender balance, and consequently the stability and attitudes of society. Its storyline bears some resemblance to stories of real-life instances of gender imbalance and economics resulting in fraternal polyandry and bride buying in some parts of India. The film begins in a rural setting, with the delivery of a baby girl to a village couple. Her disappointed father, who was hoping for a boy, drowns her in vat of milk in a public ceremony. Many years later, this unchecked trend leads to the village being populated solely by males. The now uncouth and aggressive young men of the village are desperate for wives, and release their frustration through group screenings of imported pornographic films, cross-dressed dance performances, and even bestiality. They are shown to be willing to go to the lengths of human trafficking in order to procure spouses for themselves. The father of five boys finds out about a single young woman, named Kalki, living some distance from the village, and literally buys her from her father. She is then married to all five sons. Each night of the week, she is forced to sleep with one of the sons, and even the father gets his weekly night with her. Of all the men in the boorish lot, only the youngest son treats her with respect and tenderness. When the youngest son is killed by his jealous brothers, and an escape attempt with a sympathetic domestic servant boy goes lethally awry, she becomes a pawn of revenge in an inter-community conflict, and an unwilling object of sexual release for even more men. She is chained to a post in the cow shed and raped mercilessly night after night. The film ends on a violent but hopeful note, as she bears a baby girl while the men of the village kill each other off over rights to her and her child. Co-ordinated by: IFTDA.

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