Sthal is a superb follow-up to Sairat, that explores women's agency in marriage and life

Illustration/Uday Mohite

GREAT NEWS: Sthal, A Match, in Marathi, directed by Jayant Digambar Somalkar, released on 155 screens in cinemas across Maharashtra last week. It is a compelling film on the terrible impact of successive arranged marriage match-making meetings on young women, worsened in the context of farmers’ distress. It is deeply rooted, deeply felt, and certainly merits discussions after the film. The film had a world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, TIFF, where it won the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Film in 2023. It is about a smart, young, college-going woman, Savita (Nandini Chikte), daughter of a cotton farmer in Dongargaon village, Vidarbha, Maharashtra, and the impact on her when patriarchal traditions force her to undergo a series of humiliating “kande pohe” arranged match meetings, that always end with her being rejected for her dark skin, height, etc.

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In fact, the film is an excellent counterpoint to Rohan Kanawade’s Sabar Bonda, Cactus Pears, also in Marathi, that won the Grand Jury Prize in the Sundance Film Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic section in January. Sthal........

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