White Rainbow

I write to you all again about my beloved India! This time it is about an amazing film I recommend everyone to see. Dharlin Entertainment is planning a limited release of the film "White Rainbow" starting in April. Since they don't have the funds for a major publicity campaign, they are approaching this with a grass roots effort to spread the word. "White Rainbow" is Dharlin Entertainment's most aggressive production to date due to the nature of the film, which exposes the dire condition of India's widows. For my personal take on some of these issues, visit my post on GFX-- "Solace in Vrindavan"

"White Rainbow" is set to open on April 7th in San Jose, CA at the Camera

12 Cinemas.

"White Rainbow is the story of four remarkable women and their journey to overcome the societal stigma and grim reality of widowhood. Abandoned by their families, impoverished by a system that fails to recognize them, and denied even the most simple grace of wearing color, they find the resolve to transform their lives, and in doing so, the lives of Vrindavan's widows.

The story begins with the tragedy of the film’s protagonist and narrator, Priya. Upon learning of her husband’s sudden death, Priya miscarries her baby. Although her life is one of privilege and prestige, Priya's emotional and tragic catharsis compels her to make a pilgrimage to Vrindavan. Alone and desperate for solace, she befriends three women, all widows, and all with their own powerful and tragic stories to tell.

The elder streetwise, Roop, rejected by her own children and forced to make her way on the streets. Gentle Mala, disfigured by her mother-in-law, a servant and illicit lover to a priest. And young Deepti, widowed at age 15 and forced into prostitution.

Together, this disparate group challenges the myths and traditions that surround not only the treatment of widows in Indian society, but the widows' own resignation to their fate. And, in the process, their own transformation takes hold. No longer destined to a fate of poverty and servitude, the women emerge empowered with the belief that they are the champions of their own lives. The film inspires us all to see the Rainbow present in every woman." -(source) "White Rainbow Offical Movie Site"

BBC NEWS- "Film Highlights Widow's Plight"

By Anu Anand

BBC correspondent in Vrindavan, north India

9/9/2004

Five years ago, Indian director Deepa Mehta tried to make a film about the exploitation of widows. But she and her film crew were forced to quit after violent protests by Hindu leaders.Now, the spotlight is back on the ill-treatment of India's widows. A new film, by an Indian-American director, tells harrowing tales of sexual and physical abuse.

Harsh lives

In the fading light of afternoon, nearly 300 women sit chanting on the marble floor, their skeletal faces shrouded in white saris. It is the second shift in Vrindavan's largest widow ashram (religious retreat), some 200 kilometres east of the Indian capital Delhi. Many have been forced to shave their heads. All wear the color of grief, waiting for the day they too will follow their husbands into the afterlife. The women struggle to stay awake. But they must, because a shift here earns them one plate of rice and lentils, just enough to survive.Their story is now being told on-screen.

Film exposes reality

A new film called White Rainbows tells the story of four widows in Vrindavan - who were raped, disfigured and abandoned by their families. It is based on the real life story of Mohini Giri, today, India's leading advocate of widows' rights. She says the film tells the ugly truth. "The atrocities are manifold - one is due to hunger, the second - no shelter - they have to depend on men who in turn molest them or take advantage of their vulnerability and the third is illiteracy - they are not educated. "Not having these three things leaves them in a dismal state."

Dharan Mandrayar is the film's director. An Indian living in California, he says he was shocked to discover widows were still treated in such appalling manner. "It's unbelievable that families would abandon their mothers...that's why we decided to do this film. "We are hoping that even if it changes a couple of minds to do something or to help we have achieved something."

Forced out

Most widows I talked to said this was their fate. Anita Yadav is 29-years-old. After her husband died of alcohol poisoning, she too fled to Vrindavan with her three young children. "My brother in law kept trying to molest me. He'd come to my room again and again. I complained, but my in-laws took his side. "They said, either marry him, or get out." But Anita has found a rare sanctuary. She lives in a rescue mission run by Mohini Giri who has joined hands with Dharan Mandrayar to spread the film's message.

Here, the women wear colorful saris - red and green, white with purple polka dots - to reject the stigma of widowhood. They can pray or simply watch TV. These small freedoms are important. And after the violent opposition to the last film on widows in India, the making of White Rainbows alone is progress.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/36118