अकीरा

This is a story of the relentless persecution of a woman, daring to break out of the stereotypical mold, by a failed social system which is both corrupt and broken. Hard-hitting and depressing - mainstream Bollywood seldom gets this realistic. Yet, this is such an ordinary, everyday story - being played out again and again all around us. In Indian society, a young girl who dares to question the system, a girl who dares to protest - is an anachronism. She is either disciplined and that rare spark of life is extinguished even before it is properly lit. Or she gets lucky and finds a supporter, like Akira did in her father. In reality it is more of a misfortune. Apart from that unusual mentor the unusual woman remains utterly alone all through her life. In fact, the society raises even steeper barriers in her path overcompensating for that one supportive mentor whether or not s/he continues to be around. In the end, the lone struggle of the young woman invariably runs out of options and we are once again left saddened with the depressing realisation that it is not easy to be a woman even in the twenty-first century.