Premiering in Cannes Un Certain Regard, this scathing, subversively feminist take on the police procedural puts modern-day India under scrutiny.

In the rural badlands of northern India, newly widowed Santosh takes over her late husband’s job as police constable. When a teenage girl from the Dalit caste – considered the ‘untouchable ones’ within the country – is found murdered in a small town, Santosh teams up with her superior, the older, charismatic female inspector Geeta, in a race against time and community pressure to find the killer.

Turning the familiar, often male-driven Hollywood police procedural on its head, this narrative debut feature from filmmaker Sandhya Suri (The Field, MIFF 2019; I for India, MIFF 2006) dives deep into the divisions plaguing contemporary India, using the crime thriller as a means to explore ideas around caste, class, gender and religion. Driven by powerful central performances from Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, Santosh is a searing examination of corruption, politics and sexism – and an explosive, nail-biting law-enforcement drama.

“A propulsive neo-noir … This is a crisply-executed crime picture that negotiates its hot-button themes with intelligence and a refreshing lack of sensationalism.” – Screen Daily