by Jonathan Crow
synopsis
Based on a play by the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Rabindranath Tagore, this film -- directed by Naval Gandhi -- was made to show Western audiences that Indian cinema could measure up to Western standards. Set in the fictional province of Tippera, the film concerns the conflict between the reform-minded King Govinda, who wants to ban animal sacrifice, and a tradition-bound priest who -- enraged at the King's heresy -- demands the sovereign's head. The goat to be sacrificed is the pet of an orphaned beggar girl (Zubeida) whom the childless Queen Gunavati (Sulochana) has taken a certain shine to.
