Sita Review: Shriya Pilgaonkar's poignant film is a hard-hitting take on the brutal caste system and gender inequality

4/5

Story: A young boy from an oppressed caste has to battle caste divide all over again after he finds an abandoned body of a girl baby

Review: It's not often that a story that spans merely 19 minutes tugs at your heart. Sita, directed by Abhinav, is one such heart-wrenching tale of a young boy from an oppressed caste who has to battle caste and gender discrimination all over again after he finds an abandoned dead girl baby.

The short begins with a man from a privileged caste travelling in his car late in the night. He is a devotee of Lord Ram and as if a testimony to the fact, the director puts the spotlight on the idol of Ram, Lakshman, Sita and Hanuman in the car, for a few seconds. The mood is despondent and soon he abandons the dead baby girl in the footsteps of a temple.  It's here that we meet the protagonist of the story Badri (Om Kanojiya). The boy, who is quite moved by the incident, wants to perform the last rites of the abandoned baby and give her a dignified send-off, but has to face the harsh reality where people from the oppressed castes are forbidden from performing those rites and cremation.

Soon, the short film delves deep into the brutal world where the caste system discriminates against a person from the oppressed caste, right from the time of their birth and until after their death. "Go and bury her on the banks of the river," says the helpless man at the crematorium. He is well aware of how the caste system functions and knows that even if he wanted to lend a helping hand to the boy, he cannot dare to go against the brutal system. He also knows that even though he cremates the mortal remains of those belonging to the privileged castes on a daily basis, his mortal remains will never be allowed to be cremated there.

And that's not all. When Badri approaches the Brahmin priest (Lilliput) to seek his permission to cremate the body, he gets the privileged caste view."She must have done some sin in her past life," he says.  The tone of the story takes a tectonic shift with the introduction of Maithili (Shriya Pilgaonkar), who narrates a proverbial story to Badri that might have the answer to his harrowing predicament. So, will Badri be able to give her a dignified farewell after all?

Shriya Pilgaonkar is impressive as the enigmatic Maithili who holds a mirror up to the society through the story of Sita. When she narrates the story of Sita, she has all your attention along with Badri's. Child artiste Om Kanojiya is brilliant as Badri and one cannot put oneself in the shoes of the young boy, whose only mission in life at that moment is provide a decent farewell to the lifeless child in hand.

The director hits two targets with one arrow (caste and gender discrimination), and he makes one sit up and think. However, it feels like there's something amiss in this moving drama that doesn't really connect the dots. The lighting and the mood of the film has been kept dark to align with the disturbing subject, but it may not be visually appealing to some viewers. Barring the minor setbacks, Sita is a short worth watching.

Verdict: This no holds barred take on caste and gender discrimination hits you hard.