Kajarya is a complex movie with oppressive ambience of gender violence. One will surely have sleepless nights after watching this utterly joyless drama of female subjugation. For watching ‘Kajarya’, one needs to be very strong to digest the bitter horrific truth about the plight of the female sex. Madhureeta Anand’s film is centred more on women who are shown smarter and far more capable than men. But they are still assigned a submissive status by the society that approves of the man to be the despot. So, if you are a strong-hearted person and would like to face some ruthless truth, ‘Kajarya’ is the one for you!

Kajarya is no sugar-coated pill designed for easy consumption. It stares unspeakable barbarity in the eye. The picture that emerges from its unblinking gaze isn't for the faint-hearted.  The film paints a grim, distressing social portrait of a north Indian village where female infanticide is still rampant.  Writer-director Madhureeta Anand uses minimalist means to hit out at the social mores and religious beliefs that perpetuate the slaying of newborn girls. Meenu Hooda's restrained performance as Kajarya is remarkably effective. She turns the pivotal figure into an object of both repugnance and grudging sympathy. Ridhima Sud, while paling somewhat in comparison, does her best to capture the moral and emotional dilemma of a callow and cocky girl faced with a life-altering encounter of an extreme kind. Kajarya is a powerful and important film that finds vestiges of genuine humanity in an area of impenetrable darkness. But it offers no false hopes. This film is for discerning audiences who have a stomach for the bitter truth.

Kajarya is a lethal film that has its heart in the right place. It is both engrossing and abhorrent, addressing the issue of female infanticide with an astute understanding of the subject. Director Madhureeta Anand's story is backed by solid research and her empathetic stance allows her to dive headlong into the issue to provide a more holistic view. The director smartly segregates her woman characters, and yet keeping them both equally potent and flawed. Ridhima plays Mira with a certain vulnerability, but it is Meenu whose understated performance has the menacing power. With so much going for the film, it isn't so faultless. Technical glitches aside, the story meanders in the second hour. The men are singularly villainified! You will be moved in many scenes but that doesn't culminate into a wholesome viewing experience. The characters never latch to you and hence it is easy to remain unaffected by the dramatic ending. It is unmistakably depressing and the documentary approach makes it feel like a drag.