Although the title character is a girl, the focus of the film is equally divided between her and her brother.
The following review was stolen and rewritten (in parts):
India has produced a number of important films that focused on poverty and the plight of children often caught cruelly in clutch of the caste system.
Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy: "Pather Panchali" (1955), "Aparajito" (1956) and "The World of Apu" (1959) being of the primary interest to this group.
The title character, 12-year-old Maya (Nitya Shetty), lives with her wealthy aunt and uncle and gets along well with her slightly younger cousin/foster brother Sanjay (Nikhil Yadav). Together they love to conspire against adults for their own pleasure, like devising a little scheme to obtain a bagful of free candy.
Everything comes to a halt when Maya gets her first period and her aunt and uncle begin preparing for an elaborate and religious ceremony and feast for her coming-of-age.
Whenever Maya wants to go play, the answer is no. She must be fitted for a dress, or some other adult-oriented activity. Finally the big day comes and Maya is dragged screaming into a dark temple by four priests. Sanjay bangs at the door but to no avail.
The priests take turns raping the poor girl, and her cries become increasingly weary -- but no less pained. Afterward, the priests feast and boast to Maya's foster father about how promising she is.
The film leaves off with a few title cards explaining that this so-called "religious" ceremony is performed anywhere from 5,000 to 15,000 times a year.
The film focuses a lot on Sanjay and the sickening betrayal he feels from both the adults and from Maya.
I've made some caps from a TV broadcast, but the reception was a bit ordinary, so the caps are a little grainy. I'll post a couple here and the rest in a gallery after I've created a profile page.
My Movie Rating: 8
My Boy Movie Rating: 8
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Maya (2001) (Read 2,919 times)
