First Look Of Hindi Film Bandit Shakuntala Unveiled In American Film Market (Afm)

Jyothi Venkatesh

The first look of the film Bandit Shakuntala which is based on a true life story of dacoit Shakuntala of Bihar was unveiled in the 40th American Film Market - AFM by Director Hyder Kazmi along with Irina Ratcu of Alien Films, Romania.The film also marks the collaboration between UPJ Films and productions and Alien Films, Romania for the sales of the film for European Countries. The original dacoit Shakuntala is herself playing the title role of "Bandit Shakuntala" while the main antagonist is played by Abhimanyu Singh. The film also stars Onkar Das Manikpuri, Lalitesh Jha, Ratanlal, Muzammil Qureshi & Hyder Kazmi in the lead roles. Made under the banner of UPJ Films And Productions for producers - Upendra Kumar, Pintu Kumar, Sharwan Prasad with Story, Screenplay and Dialogue- Shivram Yadav, Music by Aman Shlok,  Bandit Shakuntala will be premiered in Cannes Film Festival In May 2020, to be followed by a worldwide release.

Bandit Shakuntala revolves around a Dacoit named "Shakuntala" of Bihar district Madhubani. It is a true tale of bravery, suffering, hatred, love, violence, power & injustice against women in rural India. The main attraction about this film is that the narrative of this Woman Warrior Shakuntala will be essayed by the original Dacoit Shakuntala herself in the movie. She was born in a very small village of Bihar in India to the lowest caste. Enduring cruel poverty, Shakuntala survived the humiliation of being poor and helpless. But she decided to study hard for making her life better, during which she was kidnapped and raped by a rich powerful man of the same village when she was just 12 years old.

She tried to get Justice with her family but Shakuntala was made to suffer a series of terrifying ordeals as a result of pleading for justice against the man who raped her. She was forcefully married to an old man by her uncle. Shakuntala ran away. Later her uncle also killed her father brutally for a little piece of land. The uncle also helped the rich man to rape Shakuntala once again on the day of "Holi". After that she was horrifyingly ganged raped by 30 men and kept in jungle for 10 days without clothes when these men raped her again and again just because she asked for justice.

One day a man called "Nadeem" who belonged to a Bandit group saved her, took her along and taught her everything and she became Bandit Shakuntala.   She delivered justice to all low-caste women and rape victims and stole from the rich to give to the poor, before negotiating her surrender on her own terms.  A khaki uniform-and-bandana clad avenger of outrages by high caste against low, and by men against women and for losing all her loved ones, throughout her years of imprisonment without trial, Shakuntala remained a beacon of hope for the poor . She had over 33 cases on her but none of them could be proved due to lack of evidence and hence was released from jail. She started with a new journey, the journey of a social worker and now serves the society not through the barrels of a gun but through peace, love & retribution.

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