The World Before Her

In the first 15 mins of the documentary, I related to the ideologies of the Miss India aspirant but was awed more by the mental strength of the girls at the camp. However as the movie rolled I was shocked to learn the outrageous teachings of the hindu nationalist group. Teachings filled with sexism, hatred, killing, baseless historical references, are impressed on the minds of growing girls. Having grown up in India, it is quite unacceptable for me to see that there are people brewing such violence & hatred in our next generation. They are killing innocence & freedom. The movie leaves us with a startling image of an evolving India, a country divided into literally 2 halves!

So, I had my doubts about the content of this film. Nether the less I watched it. The movie stimulated many thoughts and emotions, it provided a very interesting look at the options and choices of the women of India.

More than this though it displayed the human condition from extreme view points. The film re-enforcing the fact that as human being we tend to place judgements on situations and people without ever truly knowing the environmental conditions creating them.

I highly recommend this film, what ever part of society one comes from this film has something to offer in opening the mind.

A new kind of documentary with sharp issues that are very part of India we live in. A new kind of change that India is part of manifests it in various forms. The new age girl seeks to the change the old values and adopt the new ones but the other section sees it as the violation of the intricate culture and heritage. One group sees herself as the next Priyanka Chopra while the other goes to see herself as Goddess Durga. The two worlds with the different belief system crisscross each other that this leads to tensions. The sharp tensions are shown in a well organized manner. The dark sides of an extremist groups like call for violence, chauvinism, polarity are something that the new generation is learning in some pockets of the nation. This set of ideology is challenging multiculturalism and non-violent ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. In the name of the empowering women these groups are somewhere leading the nation into unknown and dark lands. Similarly, the other half is not free from becoming mere product of western ways of life. Being a brand is the new motivation of the urban middle and higher class girls. The west is using this mentality to utilize the huge Indian market as per their call.

"The World Before Her" (2012 release from India; 90 min.) is a documentary focusing on two women. As the movie opens, we get to meet Ruhi, a 19 yr. old who is in the final group of 20 young women competing for the title of Miss India 2011. The beauty contest boot camp will run for 30 days leading up to the pageant itself. Next we get to meet Prachi, a 24 yr. old who is a camp leader at Durga Vahini, a Hindu nationalistic training camp for women between the ages of 15 and 23. We also get to know the respective families of these young women.

Couple of comments: first and foremost, kudos to director Nisha Pahuja for bringing us these insights into Indian society, it was an eye-opener for me (I've never been in to India). Second, beware, the documentary contains some disturbing archive footage of Hindu extremists brutally attacking women for the heinous crime of being seen with a man or for being in a bar, or for simply being a woman. There is also some fairly shocking footage of the beauty pageant contestants getting botox injections and skin whitening treatments. Third, one can only imagine the pressure that weighs on girls and women in India. At one point Ruhi's mother describes how disappointed and let down she felt when giving birth and being told it was another girl. We should all be thankful for living in a country like the US where, compared to India, women are treated and live like queens.

I saw this movie at the 2014 International Women's Day festival held by the Cincinnati World Cinema, and the screening was PACKED I am happy to report. "The World Before Her" raises a lot of poignant questions, and is worth checking out, be it in the theater, on DVD or on Amazon Instant Video. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

I am Hindu and after watching this movie, I was shocked to know that still there are places where we have Hindu extremists. I am so sad for the father of trainer of Durga vahini. On one end he is happy with her, to be a trainer and on the other end he wants her to marry a good guy and live a normal life. I don't understand why parents like him leave their children confused. He will definitely regret for the actions that his daughter will take. Apart from his daughter, he is spoiling the future of all other students there in Durga Vahini.

Such institutes should be banned in India. How will we have peace and harmony in India, if our kids join such institutes and carry so much rage and violence inside for others.