Radhika Apte, Surveen Chawla and Tannishtha Chatterjee’s film is failed by too much violence and unnecessary gloss. Some things are better left to the imagination.

Parched is a powerful women-centric drama but it falters with the underlying themes of sexuality. Also, breaking free from the shackles of tradition and society is something that stands true for Kishan’s character much more than the leading ladies.

Rajasthan is probably the heart of patriarchy land, and the villages hide many ugly tales. But three friends are there to support one another and they eventually learn to help each other fight the ugly reality that is their life. Shot beautifully, the film seems much longer than its running time because it is full of cliches about women and the feminist text seems to be borrowed rather than believed.