Having read The Kama Sutra and having found it disappointing, I figured this late night showing couldn't be anymore disappointing than the text of the same name in translation. The subtitle, A Tale of Love, does help inform the potential viewer that this is not a hot porn flick.
The few pieces of Indian literature I have read treated love stories similarly. I was curious though, as to how the Bombay movie industry would treat this story, knowing they do no show kissing in the romantic films for domestic consumption. IMDb was the source I turned to to learn more about this film and its production. Thank you for the answers.
This movie is a fine tragedy carefully told in the context of 16th century India. It portrays a woman's plight in that time, marry or be a courtesan in a harem. By giving the women empowered roles the writers allow viewers to see that while today would would find those roles unacceptable, some women of those days could find satisfaction, if not happiness. The mistress of the courtesan school gave everyone her pupils a view of the truth and their options, even before the women were ready to see them.
The movie also contains moral lessons. Maia misuses her sexuality to her own detriment. The princess, could not buy happiness. The sculptor rejects Maia's love out of fear for loss of his independence, then gets paid back in kind.
This is a captivating story I will watch again, to catch the dialog I missed while away from the television, and I rarely watch movies twice.
The few pieces of Indian literature I have read treated love stories similarly. I was curious though, as to how the Bombay movie industry would treat this story, knowing they do no show kissing in the romantic films for domestic consumption. IMDb was the source I turned to to learn more about this film and its production. Thank you for the answers.
This movie is a fine tragedy carefully told in the context of 16th century India. It portrays a woman's plight in that time, marry or be a courtesan in a harem. By giving the women empowered roles the writers allow viewers to see that while today would would find those roles unacceptable, some women of those days could find satisfaction, if not happiness. The mistress of the courtesan school gave everyone her pupils a view of the truth and their options, even before the women were ready to see them.
The movie also contains moral lessons. Maia misuses her sexuality to her own detriment. The princess, could not buy happiness. The sculptor rejects Maia's love out of fear for loss of his independence, then gets paid back in kind.
This is a captivating story I will watch again, to catch the dialog I missed while away from the television, and I rarely watch movies twice.