Though this film shares its title with a 1966 movie, the two pictures couldn't be more dissimilar. Both are set in India and focus on children, but the earlier Maya was unabashedly a family entertainment, while the new one is definitely not. Maya (Nitya Shetty), a vibrant 12-year-old girl living with her well-to-do aunt and uncle and their 11-year-old son, is readied for a “prayer service” to bless her coming of age after she experiences her first menstruation. But the ceremony actually involves her being raped by a trio of temple priests while her relatives host a celebratory feast in the courtyard outside; in fact, only her young cousin, playmate, and--it appears--one true friend, protests her violation. A cautionary tale about an ancient ritual that continues to be practiced despite governmental prohibition, Digvijay Singh's Maya spends most of its running time generating a suspenseful atmosphere, as the outward bucolic normalcy marked by humor (the precocity of the children, the ineptitude of the household servant) is leavened with ominous undercurrents (sudden explosions of familial violence, images of snakes and lizards) before unleashing the shocking denouement. A powerful tale of innocence destroyed and beauty defiled, made even more disturbing by the nonchalant cruelty with which the adults act toward their children, Maya is recommended. (F. Swietek)
Maya
Home Vision, 105 min., in Hindi w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: $24.95, Jan. 18 Volume 20, Issue 2
Maya
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