The tight focus on these two worlds leaves out the other Indias that may not be confined to the single-minded rigour of either camp, beauty or Durga Vahini. There are not just two Indias, as a doyenne in the beauty business and at one time such a popular TV face, declares. There are many more. What choices do the girls who live in those other Indias have? Do they have any at all?

As cinema it is absolutely flat. Talking heads talk and they are often repetitive. Director Nisha Pahuja seems to have no sense of the visual medium that is cinema and that makes her rather informative film boring very soon.

The World Before Her is a poignant, disturbing watch. It makes you wonder which will be the new India — Ruhi’s glamorous “modern” world, or Prachi’s traditional, religious State. And will either of these really be so different from each other?

At some points, the documentary seems a little contrived with some unnecessary stats being bandied about, perhaps in a bid to make it sensational. Pahuja could have done without it. Otherwise the intention behind the docu seems just right. But having said that, this one’s a superbly gutsy attempt at showing the mirror to reality and such attempts should always be encouraged. Go watch.

The World Before Her follows two fascinating women, who attempt to bring about a change in their own way. It is recommended for anyone looking for an entertaining film that also gets the viewers thinking.

A vivid journey on the trail of female emancipation…A must-see!

The World Before Her is the kind of film that you can write and talk about for longer than you can imagine. Hence, it is also an important film; the discomfort which it engenders being a measure of which face you represent, of the ugly world we live in.