This notorious rape movie followed in the wake of growing feminist activism in India in the 70s after the Mathura and Maya Tyagi rape cases, the amendment to the Rape Law and the impact of e.g. the Forum Against Rape which offered legal assistance to rape victims. The film has been analysed by Susie Tharu in her essay ‘On Subverting a Rhetoric: Media Versions of Rape’ (in Olympus, 9 August 1981). The pre-credit sequence shows a rape in shadow play. The story then shows the advertising model Bharati (Aman) being raped by the millionaire Ramesh (Babbar). When he is arrested, Bharati is unable to get a conviction in court. Bharati and her sister Nita (Kolhapure) move to another city where Nita, answering a job advertisement, is also raped by Ramesh. Bharati shoots Ramesh dead and once again faces the legal process, presided over by the same judge and prosecuted by the lawyer who had earlier defended Ramesh. The argument gets bogged down in legal technicalities until it is emotionally resolved with a passionate outburst from Nita. The three rape sequences shown in the film, staged with voyeuristic relish, no doubt contributed to its commercial success. Bapu remade the film in Telugu as Edi Nyayam Edi Dharmam (1982).
Cast: Deepak Parashar, Padmini Kolhapure, Raj Babbar, Zeenat Aman
Crew: BR Chopra (Director), Dharam Chopra (Director of Photography), Ravindra Jain (Music Director), BK Chaturvedi (Audiographer)
Rating: A (India)
Release Dates: 11 Nov 1980 (India)
Hindi Name: इंसाफ का तराज़ू
Did you know? Being the first Hindi film to deal with the social issue of rape, the movie was a milestone in Indian cinema. However, a debate raged as to whether the graphic depiction of rape was actually thought provoking or merely titillation. Read More
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as Ashok Sharma
as Neeta Saxena
as Ramesh R. Gupta
as Bharti Saxena
Special Appearance
as The Judge
as Inspector
as Mr. Sharma
Supporting Actor
as Mr. Chandra
as Lady Lawyer
as Mrs. Sharma
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actor
Supporting Actor
Direction
Director
Camera and Electrical
Director of Photography
Music
Music Director
Lyricist
Music Label
Playback Singer
Art
Art Director
Choreography
Choreographer
Costume and Wardrobe
Costume Designer
Makeup and Hair
Assistant Makeup Artist
Stunts
Stunt Director
Film Type:
Feature
Language:
Hindi
Colour Info:
Color
Sound Mix:
Mono
Frame Rate:
24 fps
Aspect Ratio:
2.35:1
Stereoscopy:
No
Music Label: Saregama India Limited
04:42
Music Director: Ravindra Jain
Lyricist: Sahir Ludhianvi
04:55
07:05
Music Director: Ravindra Jain
Lyricist: Sahir Ludhianvi
Playback Singer: Mahendra Kapoor, Asha Bhosle
07:20
Movie Connection(s):
Trivia:
Being the first Hindi film to deal with the social issue of rape, the movie was a milestone in Indian cinema. However, a debate raged as to whether the graphic depiction of rape was actually thought provoking or merely titillation.
The film was remade in Telugu as Edi Nyayam Edi Dharmam (1982) and in Tamil as Neethi Devan Mayakkam (1982).
The film marked Raj Babber's screen debut. He played the role of a rapist.
The film was remade in Telugu as Edi Nyayam Edi Dharmam (1982) and in Tamil as Neethi Devan Mayakkam (1982).
The film marked Raj Babber's screen debut. He played the role of a rapist.
