Laila is underwhelmed by her husband: in bed, she is bold and sometimes on top; another time, though she is pregnant, her husband insists on sex. She is drawn to the gentle, persistent village policeman Mushtaq (Shahnawaz Bhat), inviting him for nightly trysts, but fooling him each time. There's a natural, kabhi haan kabhi naa quality to her consent, as well as Stockholm's Syndrome. And one night, she discovers Mushtaq with her best friend.

Scorned, and in contempt of men, Laila is inspired by 14th century Kashmiri rebel mystic poet Lal Ded, who had rejected patriarchy and even her clothes, as she retreated into the forest. Though pregnant, Laila wears a snakeskin around her neck—symbolic of shedding her old identity—and sheds her clothes, and goes alone into the majestic Himalayas. The climax is greatly elevated by Parvathy Baul's haunting baul song.

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Laila is also a metaphor for Kashmir, whom men—and the powerful state and its forces —try to subdue. Yet, Laila triumphs—even though through renunciation. It gives the woman agency, and hope.

Singh's direction and craftsmanship confirms his status as a great auteur. Occasionally, the film has resonances of the great Armenian-Georgian director Sergei Paradjanov. Navjot Randhawa is quietly powerful as Laila, and Shahnawaz Bhat is delightful as the patient policeman, willing to be a fool in love. Singh's screenplay is richly nuanced. Ranabir Das' cinematography is majestic and lyrical, including an image of a tree, with a hollow in its trunk that is on fire. Samarth Dixit's editing seamlessly combines disparate elements, including folklore, contemporary politics and sexuality. The film is also elevated by beautiful folk songs—of marriage, migration, regret, renunciation with musical traditions drawn from as far as Iran and Tajikistan. All in all, a rich treasure trove in one film. Don't miss it.

Meenakshi Shedde is India and South Asia Delegate to the Berlin International Film Festival, National Award-winning critic, curator to festivals worldwide and journalist.
Reach her at meenakshi.shedde@mid-day.com

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