''Gulabi Gang'' () is a 2012 Norwegian-Indian –Danish co-production documentary written and directed by Nishtha Jain and co-written and produced by Torstein Grude at

Piraya Film Piraya Film is an independent production company based in Stavanger, Norway, known for making documentary films, often on international subjects. The company was founded in 1999 by filmmakers Torstein Grude and Trond Kvist with the aim of making ...

. It released nationwide in India on 21 February 2014. The film has received the Best Film on Social Issues, and the Best Non-Feature Film editing at the

61st National Film Awards The 61st National Film Awards ceremony was an event during which the Directorate of Film Festivals of India presented its annual National Film Awards to honour the best films of 2013 in the Indian cinema. The ceremony was held on 3 May 2014. ...

Synopsis

In Bundelkhand,

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, a revolution is in the making among the poorest of the poor, as Sampat Pal Devi and the fiery women of her

Gulabi Gang The Gulabi Gang (from Hindi language, Hindi ''gulabi'', "pink") is a Vigilantism, vigilante group. The group first appeared in Banda district (India), Banda district, Uttar Pradesh, as a response to widespread domestic abuse and other violence ...

empower themselves and take up the fight against gender violence, caste oppression and widespread corruption. They want to change the unchangeable with an organised social action and unification. It's a picture of rural India and a story about the underprivileged, and the story of many Indian women.

Production

After meeting the leader of the real Gulabi Gang, Sampat Pal, in 2009, director Nishtha Jain decided her story needed to be told. The film was put on hold, however, when they got wind that a UK-based production company had got an exclusivity contract to make a film about the Gulabi Gang (The film was called ''Pink Saris'' and was released in 2010). In February 2010 Nishtha Jain, joined hands with Torstein Grude, producer, Piraya Film, Norway. Grude had also independently developed a project on the Gulabi Gang.

Release

After running a very successful festival circuit and winning several awards, including the Best Film, Muhr Asia Documentary at the

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announc ...

, ''Gulabi Gang'' found a distributor for India in Sohum Shah and his company Recyclewala Labs. The release was on 21 February 2014.

Critical reception

The documentary opened to wide critical appreciation on its opening day.

Rajeev Masand Rajeev Masand is an Indian film critic and journalist. He has worked for Noida based English language news channel CNN-Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). He usually reviews Bollywood films and major Hollywood films released in India in his ...

CNN-IBN CNN-News18 (originally CNN-IBN) is an Indian English-language news television channel founded by Raghav Bahl based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It is currently co-owned by Network18 Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. CNN provides internat ...

(rating: 3.5/5) stated "Jain's film is a deeply affecting work that reminds us of the vulnerability of women in rural India."

Anupama Chopra Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...

of ''

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Ly ...

'' (rating: 3.5/5) claimed "The documentary, Gulabi Gang is a record of an extraordinary women’s movement started by the extraordinary Sampat Pal Devi in Uttar Pradesh in 2006." Rahul Desai of '' Mumbai Mirror'' (rating: 3.5/5) urged the public to see it stating "I doubt you will see a more important film this year. Gulabi Gang is an ideology, a searing exercise in awareness, which is why you must make this your mandatory watch this weekend." Mohar Basu of KoiMoi (rating: 3.5/5) said "Jain carries me with her daunting journey that I will hold on to for many years probably. The instances were revolting, the tall talks about women’s morality – a sham and the despite the distressing situations – ''Gulabi Gang'' is a ray of hope, brimming with optimism to change the stringent attitudes with galvanizing ferociousness."

Awards

; National Film Awards * National Film Award for Best Film on Social Issues for Director Nishtha Jain and Producer(s) Piraya Film, Raintree Films, Final Cut for Real. * National Film Award for Best Non-Feature Film Editing - Arjun Gourisaria *Best Director, Mumbai International Film Festival 2014 ;International honor *Best Film MuhrAsia Documentary at

*Best Film at The Norwegian Film Festival, Grimstad *Amnesty International Awards for Human Rights in South Africa and Poland *Best Documentary, IAWRT(International Association of Women in Radio and Television) 2013

Bollywood dramatization

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

masala film directed by Soumik Sen, titled '' Gulaab Gang'' is a dramatization of Sampat's Pal story, starring actresses

Madhuri Dixit Madhuri Dixit Nene (née Dixit; born 15 May 1967) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi films. A leading actress of Indian cinema, she has appeared in over 70 films. Noted by critics for her beauty, dancing skills, and characters ...

and Juhi Chawla. The film is slated for a release on 7 March 2014. When asked about the Bollywood film, ''Gulabi Gang'' director Nishtha Jain stated "I don’t think a commercial movie can capture the colour, nuance and immediacy or the raw and edgy quality of the ‘real’ which you’ll see in my film." Producer

Anubhav Sinha Anubhav Sinha (born 22 June 1965) is an Indian film director, producer and writer who works in Hindi films. He is notable for movies like '' Ra.One'', '' Tum Bin'', '' Dus'', '' Mulk'', '' Article 15'' and ''Thappad''. Early and personal life ...

discredited any source stating that his fictional film was based on Sampat Pal's life, stating that "It's a woman's fight for women's rights who ends up fighting another woman. The film is not inspired by Sampat Pal at all."

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 2196638, Gulabi Gang Documentary films about poverty 2012 films Indian documentary films Norwegian documentary films Danish documentary films 2012 documentary films Documentary films about women in India Films set in Uttar Pradesh