Kajariya (2015)

“Kajarya” is set in the present times against two backdrops. New Delhi with its shiny buildings and apparent cosmopolitan veneer, thinly veils an underbelly of crimes against women and corruption at all levels. And a small village in the state of Haryana just 80 kilometres from New Delhi that is stuck in a time warp.

The film’s lead protagonist - Kajarya has a strange but important place in the village social structure; she murders unwanted girl infants in the garb of religious sacrifice. It is the people of the village who have given her this position. And yet, she stands for a terrible secret that no one wants to acknowledge. She is fed-up of being used and at the same time, in her drug-induced madness, she has a false sense of her invincibility.

And then, a casual, unknowing force becomes a catalyst for change.

Meera is a rookie reporter, she breezes into the village to cover a local festival but instead, unearths the story of Kajarya. The villagers describe her as a demonic baby killer. The story is juicy and one sided. Meera gets the front page of the newspaper. Kajarya goes to jail.

From here on, the film plays out with Kajarya in jail and a famous Meera wrecked by guilt and coming to terms with the fact that she lives in a world where girls may as well be dead.