Santosh’s young husband, a second-year policeman noted for his integrity, is mercilessly killed in a riot he was called to quell. When Santosh goes to the station to collect his belongings, she learns she can inherit his position with the same salary.
While this position solves her current poverty, it actually makes her survival more precarious.
The first inexplicable problem she faces is that she enters her job without training, so she not only doesn’t know what to do, she is ignorant of protocol as well as all the legal rules and regulations.
The second problem is the daunting barrier of her gender, which is to be expected.
But the terrifying third problem is the self-perpetuating corruption of the police system. The men act with impunity, punishing with cruelty without trial. They expect bribes to look the other way and hobnob with each other using vulgar, insulting language. Santosh is ordered to walk alone through dark, seamy streets alone, wading into enemy territory where the police are hated, while the men stick together. Is her life not as valuable?
The fourth problem is the people she is supposed to trust. These individuals lead her into far greater danger, into losing who she really is – and the soul within that keeps life worth living.
Sandhya Suri, an Indian-British writer, has written a fabulously insightful thriller set in northern India.
Santosh, sensitively played by make-up-free Shahana Goswami, is not accepted by her husband’s or her own family. So, while it’s uncommon for a woman to wear military clothes (without a scarf!) and be responsible for law and order in India, she has no other options for financial survival.
Her first murder case involves a young Dalit (untouchable) girl who is killed and stuffed down the village well. The crime is double – murder and water contamination.
A female police officer, played by brilliantly conniving, tough Sunita Rajwar, who consorts with the men as if she were one, enters the scene and takes charge of the investigation. Santosh becomes her deputy.
From the moment Santosh begins her job, she sees corruption and dehumanization of one sort or the other, in society and in the police force. With her new female boss, she thinks she has an ally.
The police station is a metaphor for the sloppy moral fiber of society and its agencies, reflecting a lack of empathy and respect for justice. Santosh must find a way out of the labyrinth in order to regain her own moral compass.
“Santosh” is the United Kingdom’s entry for Best International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards. The women carrying this fabulous film to greatness are Sandhya Suri, the powerfully insightful director and writer, and the leads, Goswami and Rajwar. A deep, enthralling thriller, “Santosh” is predicted to be on the short-list for an Oscar.
10/10
CREDITS
Written and Directed by SANDHYA SURI
Producers: MIKE GOODRIDGE JAMES BOWSHER BALTHAZAR DE GANAY ALAN MCALEX
Co-Produced: CAROLE SCOTTA ELIOTT KHAYAT GERHARD MEIXNER ROMAN PAUL
Executive Producers: AMA AMPADU EVA YATES DIARMID SCRIMSHAW Executive Producers: LUCIA HASLAUER MARTIN GERHARD
Starring: SHAHANA GOSWAMI and SUNITA RAJWAR
Presented by BFI and BBC FILM in Association with MK2 FILMS and HAUT ET COURT
Director of Photography: LENNERT HILLEGE
Editor: MAXIME POZZI-GARCIA
Production Design: DEVIKA DAVE
Sound: ETIENNE HAUG NIKOLA MEDIĆBRUNO TARRIÈRE
Released: Dec. 27, 2024
Website: https://mk2films.com/en/film/santosh/
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