SYNOPSIS Bekroonde regisseur Pan Nalin (Samsara, 2001) maakte metAngry Indian Goddesses India’s eerste vrouwelijke buddy film: een fris, realistisch portret van vrouwen in het moderne India. Mode-fotografe Frieda brengt haar beste vriendinnen vanuit heel India samen in haar ouderlijke huis in het schilderachtige Goa waar ze aankondigt te gaan trouwen. Een spontaan vrijgezellenfeest ontstaat en de week die volgt ontaardt in een achtbaan van onderlinge ontboezemingen, vriendschap, conflicten en verzoeningen. Te midden van het feestgedruis borrelen echter ook geheimen, spanningen en verdriet op. Ondanks het feit dat hun vriendschap op de proef wordt gesteld, zijn de vriendinnen vastberaden om de dag te plukken. Totdat het lot een dramatische wending neemt. Angry Indian Goddesses is een romantische komedie met een zwart randje; een film over krachtige vrouwen die zich vrij proberen te vechten in een land waar dat voor vrouwen niet zo vanzelfsprekend is. Een ode aan het vrouw zijn en tegelijkertijd een aanklacht tegen de Indiase mannenmaatschappij. En niet zonder controverse: de film werd in India zwaar gecensureer. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT In the last few yea rs Indi a has witnessed rapid eco nom ic growth and crashed right into the co nflict of m odernity versus tr adi tions. Contem porary Indi an wom en are at the center of this un folding of a torn, troubl ed and tarnished m odern era. Will the co un try m ove with the tim es or stay with tradi tional values or som ehow m anage both? As a film m aker I wa s deepl y inspired by the state of aff airs which Indi an wom en are experiencing: their co nflicts over caree r, soc iety, love, fam il y, sex... and there are m any layers to these stories that m ust be un ravell ed. ANGR Y INDIAN GODD ESSES is one of the fir st film s to put m odern- day Indi an wom en at the hea rt of the story. For yea rs I longed to do a film with fir ebrand Indi an wom en in lea d roles because shoc kingly 96 % of fem ale roles in Indi an cinem a have the wom an as an acc ess ory, a deco ration, or a lover (tr anslate that to the fem ale cast being sexy), or pl aying a m other, or sister whose “izzat”(honour) the hero or “bi g bro” m ust protect. Alternatively, she is the ultim ate ‘IT’ girl! Her m ale lea d m ust have a gun and a fem ale co un terpart but the film caters to m ales: it m ust be a testosterone driven film . Fem ale roles are glam ourize d and there’s alwa ys a dance or ‘gaana’ (song). Of co urse the glam our doesn’t di gnify the wom an and it’s still the guy’s m ovie! Be it action, rom - co m , thrill er... the m an m ust dom inate m ore scree n tim e, say the rea l li nes and win the wom en over. Even the recent lot of all Boll ywoo d buddy m ovies run high on m ale testosterone, as if wom en don’t “budd y” or co nn ect with ea ch other!! As a film m ak er who loves wom en and everything fem inine, I have bee n witness ing an outcry fr om the Indi an wom en for gender equali ty, respect and di gnity. Thu s, I wa s co m pell ed to use their fury as m y fuel to fire up the ANGR Y IN DIAN GODD ESSES! Pan Na li n Septem ber, 201 5 SARAH- JANE DIAS as FRIEDA Sarah is a form er Chann el V VJ and Miss Indi a 2007 . She has also app eared in the Australi an Roc k Band IN XS’s vid eo “Neve r Let you Go”. She m ade her Boll ywood debut opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Gam e (2011 ) and also starred in film s such as Kya Super Koo l Hai Hum (2012 ), O Teri (2014 ) and Happy New Yea r (2014 ). Sarah’s upco m ing film is the Gun ee t Monga (Shikhya Entert ainm ent) produced Zubaa n which prem ieres at this year ’s Busa n International Fil m Fes tival. RAJSHRI DESHPANDE as LAXMI Str addli ng the world of thea tr e, adve rt ising and TV, Rajshri has also acted in film s such as Kuch Toh Log Kahenge (2011 ), For Hire (2012 ), Talaash (2012 ) and Kick (2015 ). In 2014 , she also pl ayed the character of Agent Vee na in Anil Kapoo r’s hit TV show 24 :India. Her lates t release is the Malayalam film , Haram (2015 ). SANDHYA MRIDU L as SURANJANA Sandhya Mrid ul, is acc laim ed for her roles in Saa thiya (20 02), Page 3 (2005 ), Honeym oo n Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007 ), Via Darjee li ng (2008 ), Force (2011 ) and Rag ini MM S (2013 ). She was also the runn er- up in the popular telev ision dance show Jhalak Dikhh la Jaa (Seas on 2). AMRIT MAGHERA as JOANN A A sought- aft er face in the fas hion and entert ainm ent industry, Am rit is the fo rm er brand am bassa dor of the co sm etic giant Lakm e. Am rit has graced the fr ont co ve rs and features of m any international m agaz ines including GQ, Harper’s Bazaa r, FHM, Vogue, Maxim , Verve and Fem ina. In 2014 , she starr ed in the fea ture film MAD: Mad About Dance foll owe d by the Pun jabi fea ture Goreyan Nu Daff a Karo (2014 ) and Am ar Akbar Anthony (2015 ). PAVLEEN GUJRAL as PAMELA A m odel, anchor, actor and styli st, Pav lee n has bee n the proud face of brands such as Yam aha and Dabur. She has wa lked the ram p for des igners such as Sabyasachi, Rohit Bal and Tarun Tahili ani and on m ajor fas hion shows such as the Will s India Fas hion Wee k and Brid al Asia. She has hosted Band Baa ja Buff et on the Foo d Ne twork and Bazaa r and Joggers Park for the Travel Trendz Chann el. In 2014 , she m ade her fea ture film debut with Trip To Bhangarh. ANUSHKA MANCHANDA as MADHUREE TA India’s renowned pop di va was born into a fam il y who loves their roc k & roll . Anu shka cam e into the li m eli ght as a m em ber of Viva , Indi a’s m ost succ ess ful, all - girl band which sold ove r half a m illi on copi es of their fir st alb um . Her co nn ection with the youth led Chann el V got her signed on as a VJ and her pass ion for m otorcycles also led to her hosting MTV’s Stun tm ania. The super hit song Golm aa l laun ched her Boll ywood playback singing caree r and she has since worked with the hott es t m usic di rectors in the co un tr y. Known for her coo l style, Anu shka co nstantly graces the li sts of the bes t dres sed wom en in the co un tr y. TANNI SHTHA CHA TTE RJEE as NARGIS Tann ishtha is bes t known for her perf orm ance in the British film Brick Lane (2007 ) where she was nom inated for the British Independent Fil m awa rds in the ‘Bes t Actr es s’ category. Her other notabl e roles have bee n in Academ y Awa rd winning Germ an di rector Florian Gall enberger’s film , Shadows of Tim e (2005 ), Road Movie (2010 ) with Abhay Deol, Jalp ari: The Dese rt Merm aid (2012 ), Gulab Gang (2013 ) with Madhu ri Dixit, Monsoo n Shoo tout (2013 ) which was an offic ial se lection at the 66 th Cann es film fes tival and Chauranga (2014 ). Tann ishtha is curr ently film ing the Australi an rom antic co m edy UnIndi an with Bret Lee and Gart h Davies ’ film Lion co- starr ing Nico le Kid m an and Dev Patel. PAN NALIN DIRECTOR Pan Na li n cam e into the global spotli ght with his debut fea ture film SAMSARA (Miram ax). The m ovie wa s a co m m ercial and critical succ ess world wid e and won over thirt y awa rds at various film - related events. Na li n, a self- taught film m aker, wa s born in a rem ote vill age in Gujarat, Indi a. Until the age of 12 , Na li n help ed his father sell tea on a rail wa y pl atf orm . He di sli ked school, putt ing his energy into painting and draw ing instea d. He also actively staged m ythological dram as and folk pl ays . Later, as a tee nage r, he left his fam il y and vill age in pursuit of cinem a. He studi ed Fine Art s at the M.S. University of Baroda. Na li n m ade over fift y we ddi ng vid eos to finance his education. Whil e li ving in Baroda, he di sco vered Holl ywoo d m ovies and world cinem a.