This is one of the best Indian films dealing with poverty and the social evils it breeds. There is no 'Bollywood' artifice to be found here, no comedy relief or 'entertainment' as such. it is a tragic tale, told realistically without pulling any punches. you are not likely to feel good after watching it, but you are not likely to forget the vivid, bleak, gut-wrenching atmosphere of oppression any time soon. Smita Patel, Om Puri and Nana Patekar give superbly nuanced performances. i saw this on VHS about 15 years back, but it seems to have disappeared into obscurity (along with many other quality Indian 'art' films) since the advent of VCDs and DVDs.