The Bandit Queens: Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction 2023

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Although Phoolan Devi is a heroine in the film, she fiercely disputed its accuracy and fought to get it banned in India. At times deeply serious, then laugh-out-loud funny, Parini Shroff has written a sobering but hopeful exploration of womanhood, social injustices, and second chances. Biharilal and Maiyadin stole land from Phoolan Devi's father by bribing the village leader to change the land records.

But, unknown to her, the bail is a bribe (paid, through the police, to Babu Gujjar's gang), and Babu Gujjar arrives to collect his prize.Yeah, I know it is hard to balance authentic Indian dialogues and their readability for a global audience. A former leader of the gang, Sri Ram Singh, was released from prison together with his brother Lalla Ram Singh in 1980; they were Thakur men (Thakurs being a subcaste of the higher Kshatriya caste) and thus a higher caste than the other members. A] [2] :42 [3] The land is filled with gorges and ravines, making it suitable terrain for dacoits (bandits), and is crossed by the Yamuna and Chambal rivers. In Parini Shroff’s dark comedy, the put-upon women of a small Indian village decide to get rid of their husbands—permanently.

Parini Shroff's debut women's fiction novel, THE BANDIT QUEENS, is based on a real story depiction in India (I will not say more on what story that actually is), but delivers a bird's eye view on the cultural aspects of Indian society, including domestic abuse, gender, the caste system, and patriarchy. But it also leads to Geeta having an interesting dilemma on her hands as now other women in the village would like her to eliminate their no-good husbands. I want to emphasize this point even while I deny you examples to illustrate it because I want the hilarity to stay in the context of the novel where it plays out alongside much more serious matters. The religious tensions between the Hindus and the Muslims, as well as the caste structure, created a fascinating backdrop.I say this because the author has enough talent to create characters that carry a story without relying on a checklist. The premise here is straightforward: Geeta, a woman who was abandoned by her abusive husband five years ago and made a pariah as village gossip spread that she had killed him, is now working in a micro-loan collective with four other women, and being asked for tips on how they can kill their abusive husbands.

After it received acclaim at Cannes Film Festival, Kapur asked for permission from the Central Board of Film Certification to screen the film at cinemas in India. Funny and engrossing and also heartbreaking, The Bandit Queens tells an important story about domestic abuse, caste discrimination, and the power of the patriarchy in India. With Geeta’s dangerous reputation becoming a double-edged sword, she has to find a way to protect the life she’s built—but even the best-laid plans of would-be widows tend to go awry. If you were in Geeta's position when she was first approached to help plot a murder, what would you have done?

By the time I was on a plane to Texas, Geeta and Farah were born within a short story and had forged an economic alliance to “get rid” of Farah’s money-siphoning husband. She was celebrated among Dalits (people at the bottom of the caste system) for fighting back against her abuse by men of a higher caste, and when she eluded capture by the authorities her fame grew. Others may find it triggering or insensitive for the way it uses humor alongside said difficult subjects. Shroff captures the complexity of female friendship with acuity, wit, and a certain kind of magic irreverence. Oh, by the way, Raavan did not touch Sita because he was cursed that he would die (his head would be blown into a thousand pieces) if he ever touched a woman without her consent.