Sreela Majumdar

Based on Urdu short story Anandi by Ghulam Abbas, Mandi is a sharp satire on the hypocrisy of society. Questioning the self-appointed guardians of morality and culture, director Shyam Benegal explores the world of sex workers a gaze full of empathy, kindness, and respect.

For arguably one of his best films, Mrinal Sen masterfully turns the film-within-a-film trope on its head to comment on the film industry’s apathy and blind privilege. Featuring an outstanding performance by Smita Patil, this nuanced critique of exploitative art practices remains extremely relevant.