Kajarya is not quite the long-legged social statement that the film’s well-researched plot would  suggest. But it has its heart in the right place. And its theme of mass gender annihilation makes our blood freeze .

Perhaps because what the film portrays doesn’t quite go beyond the newspaper headlines, there are no new insights, perspectives to enlighten, added to what you already know nor is there anything to jolt you. Perhaps we have become too inured. Or may be the film needed to be more intense than it has turned out.

Ruhil makes a fine weasly villain, who is using Kajarya for his own ends, and the movie has its share of corpulent police officers and cold-hearted editors. It’s a grim watch, but then female foeticide is never easy to confront.

Kajarya is a powerful and important film that finds vestiges of genuine humanity in an area of impenetrable darkness. But it offers no false hopes. This film is for discerning audiences who have a stomach for the bitter truth.

The film is not easy to the eye and is disturbing. The facts and the disguise condition are well projected by the director. In fact, setting this in a small village and picking many real characters to act in the film works well for the film. However, the way in which the movie is shot, more like a documentary, may not appeal to everyone because of the pace of the film.

Sitting numb at the end of this deeply disturbing film on female infanticide, Kajarya, I was informed that 10 million girls have been killed in our country since the 1980s. Director Madhureeta Anand has our attention by force. She does not allow audiences the luxury to flinch or turn away.

Kajarya is a lethal film that has its heart in the right place. It is both engrossing and abhorrent, addressing the issue of female infanticide with an astute understanding of the subject. Director Madhureeta Anand’s story is backed by solid research and her empathetic stance allows her to dive headlong into the issue to provide a more holistic view.