Amada Bata

aka The Untrodden Road 1964 144’ b&w Oriya d/sc Amar Ganguly p Babulal Doshi st Basanti Kumar Pattanayak’s novel dial Gopal Chatray c Deojibhai m Balakrishna Das lp Geeta, Jharana Das, Lakhmi, Menaka, Kiran, Krishnapriya, Umakant, Akhyay, Sharat, Brindavan

The debut of pioneering Oriya producer Doshi tells of the rebellious Maya (Das) who disapproves of her sister-in-law’s meek assent to the role of obedient housewife. However, the latter’s attitude is merely a ploy to get her husband to split from his family. When Maya gets married, the curtailment of her freedom causes her intense suffering. The moral of the story is that by meekly submitting to her husband, a woman can achieve greater happiness. This reactionary critique of women’s desire for emancipation, adapted from a book by one of Orissa’s first female novelists, is best remembered for Das’s performance.

Film