AllMovie

One of India's cultural obsessions becomes the subject of this documentary from Dutch filmmakers Jascha de Wilde and Chris Relleke. The Great Rayman Circus takes in many performers from the fringes of Indian society -- dwarves, the deformed, and those otherwise physically challenged -- but its biggest draw are the beautiful young women who perform acrobatics in the nude for patrons of all ages. Starkiss: Circus Girls in India interviews many of the carnival authorities as well as the women themselves to gain insight into their predicament. Often literally sold by their families to the traveling barkers, the girls profiled in the film talk of their degradation, their physically-grueling routines, and their poor prospects for a life outside of the carnival.