Insaf Ka Tarazu

In a typical Bollywood movie of yesteryears rape was depicted in a trashy and disrespectful way with the heroine yells out "Bachao Bachao (save me, save me).

With the rise in rape in countries like India, directors have started to tackle the subject on a more sensitive manner.

Insaaf Ka Tarazu is probably the first Bollywood movie to tackle the subject of rape in a mature and sensitive way. Who better to direct it than the wonderful B.R. Chopra who has experience with dealing with social issues like his masterpiece, the man VS machine saga Naya Daur.

Insaaf Ka Tarazu is a very enjoyable and well made movie.

Now onto the performances. Zeenat Aman is brilliant, her transformation from beauty queen to a disgraced woman was believable and well acted. Her finale speech was so moving and inspiring to rape victims.

The shining star of the movie however is the woefully underrated actor Raj Babbar as the devious Ramesh Gupta. I never expected such an unforgettable performance from an actor with only a few films behind him. It's sad that post Ghayal he got stuck in supporting or villainous roles.

Even child star Padmini Kholapure showed signs of a seasoned performer and she would go on to have a successful career as a lead heroine. Shreeram Lagoo's performance is also commendable as the conniving lawyer Mr Chandra.

It's reassuring that back in the days when rape was seen as nothing more than an exploitation device in Bollywood, there were some directors who went against the grain and made a movie that is a tribute to womanhood.