DIRECTOR: Sandhya Suri
STARRING: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar
RUNNING TIME: 2 hrs 8 minutes
LANGUAGE: Hindi
A government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her husband's job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
***
Santosh marks Sandhya Suri’s narrative feature debut after her breakout documentary, I For India in 2005, and her short drama The Field, which won best international short in Toronto in 2018 and picked up a 2019 BAFTA nomination. Santosh had its worldwide debut at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section this year, where it was quickly snatched up for release in North America by Metrograph Pictures. It has since played in Toronto, London and the Chicago International Film Festivals.
The film was selected by BAFTA, the organisation appointed by the American Academy to choose the UK’s submission.
The film is produced by Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar de Ganay, and Alan McAlex. Its executive producers include Ama Ampadu, Eva Yates, Diarmid Scrimshaw, Lucia Haslauer, and Martin Gerhard. It is under the banner of Good Chaos and co-producers Razor Film and Haut et Court. It is financed by BFI and BBC Film.
Santosh is a drama and it was filmed in Uttar Pradesh, India.
To check out all previous submissions for United Kingdom, click HERE.
STARRING: Shahana Goswami, Sunita Rajwar
RUNNING TIME: 2 hrs 8 minutes
LANGUAGE: Hindi
A government scheme sees newly widowed Santosh inherit her husband's job as a police constable in the rural badlands of Northern India. When a low-caste girl is found raped and murdered, she is pulled into the investigation under the wing of charismatic feminist inspector Sharma.
***
Santosh marks Sandhya Suri’s narrative feature debut after her breakout documentary, I For India in 2005, and her short drama The Field, which won best international short in Toronto in 2018 and picked up a 2019 BAFTA nomination. Santosh had its worldwide debut at the Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section this year, where it was quickly snatched up for release in North America by Metrograph Pictures. It has since played in Toronto, London and the Chicago International Film Festivals.
The film was selected by BAFTA, the organisation appointed by the American Academy to choose the UK’s submission.
The film is produced by Mike Goodridge, James Bowsher, Balthazar de Ganay, and Alan McAlex. Its executive producers include Ama Ampadu, Eva Yates, Diarmid Scrimshaw, Lucia Haslauer, and Martin Gerhard. It is under the banner of Good Chaos and co-producers Razor Film and Haut et Court. It is financed by BFI and BBC Film.
Santosh is a drama and it was filmed in Uttar Pradesh, India.
To check out all previous submissions for United Kingdom, click HERE.
FILM REVIEW:
(This review contains spoilers.)
"May the same happen to your child."
Santosh, directed by Sandhya Suri, is an evocative and immersive police procedural that takes an intimate look at the underbelly of rural India’s justice system. Premiering at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section, this film presents a nuanced story that unfolds through the experiences of Santosh Saini (Shahana Goswami), a young widow who inherits her husband’s police job due to a compassionate appointment program. As Santosh, who has little prior work experience, navigates her new role, she’s thrust into a murder investigation in which her ideals and sense of justice are tested against the realities of a corrupt and biased system. Suri’s direction masterfully captures these layers without overtly preaching, allowing the societal ills to emerge naturally through the story’s details and interactions.
The heart of Santosh lies in the rich dynamic between Santosh and her senior partner, Inspector Sharma (Sunita Rajwar). Sharma, a seasoned detective, embodies the survival instincts needed to thrive in a profession steeped in compromise. Santosh’s initial naivety and idealism contrast sharply with Sharma’s hardened pragmatism, setting the stage for an engrossing exploration of how personal values can be shaped, and often eroded, by institutional forces. Goswami and Rajwar deliver standout performances, breathing life into these characters and grounding the film’s broader social critique with emotional depth. Through their evolving relationship, Santosh becomes more than a murder mystery; it’s a study of how people confront the dark realities of power, prejudice, and duty.
Suri’s screenplay expertly sidesteps heavy-handedness, allowing the political themes of caste, sexism, and systemic violence to blend seamlessly into the film’s atmosphere. These issues are never explicitly named, but they pulse through every scene, conveyed in small yet powerful moments: officers laughing at an illiterate man, slurs thrown at a Muslim boy, the refusal of medical staff to handle a Dalit girl’s body. These incidents reflect Santosh’s growing realization that justice is not a straightforward endeavor. As she’s forced to reckon with the compromises and inequalities inherent in the system, her story becomes a microcosm of India’s complex social landscape, one where survival often requires a morally gray approach.
The film’s authentic representation is further enriched by Suri’s use of non-professional actors from local communities, whose presence lends a raw, unfiltered quality to the film. This choice amplifies the film’s realism, capturing the rhythms and nuances of rural life that often go unseen in mainstream media. Cinematographer Lennert Hillege’s visuals enhance this sense of authenticity, shifting from a documentary-like style in the beginning to more intense, claustrophobic shots as Santosh’s desperation grows. The haunting cinematography and score create an atmosphere that mirrors the psychological tension of the case, turning Santosh into a gripping and immersive experience.
Santosh is a triumph of storytelling that manages to address social issues through compelling characters and rich atmosphere without resorting to didacticism. This film allows viewers to reflect on the complexities of justice, duty, and personal ethics in an inherently flawed system. Rather than delivering easy answers, Suri’s film invites audiences to ponder what change might look like for the Santoshes of the world, those who live at the intersections of oppression and resilience. Santosh leaves an indelible impact, not by telling us what to think, but by showing us what to think about.
(This review contains spoilers.)
"May the same happen to your child."
Santosh, directed by Sandhya Suri, is an evocative and immersive police procedural that takes an intimate look at the underbelly of rural India’s justice system. Premiering at Cannes in the Un Certain Regard section, this film presents a nuanced story that unfolds through the experiences of Santosh Saini (Shahana Goswami), a young widow who inherits her husband’s police job due to a compassionate appointment program. As Santosh, who has little prior work experience, navigates her new role, she’s thrust into a murder investigation in which her ideals and sense of justice are tested against the realities of a corrupt and biased system. Suri’s direction masterfully captures these layers without overtly preaching, allowing the societal ills to emerge naturally through the story’s details and interactions.
The heart of Santosh lies in the rich dynamic between Santosh and her senior partner, Inspector Sharma (Sunita Rajwar). Sharma, a seasoned detective, embodies the survival instincts needed to thrive in a profession steeped in compromise. Santosh’s initial naivety and idealism contrast sharply with Sharma’s hardened pragmatism, setting the stage for an engrossing exploration of how personal values can be shaped, and often eroded, by institutional forces. Goswami and Rajwar deliver standout performances, breathing life into these characters and grounding the film’s broader social critique with emotional depth. Through their evolving relationship, Santosh becomes more than a murder mystery; it’s a study of how people confront the dark realities of power, prejudice, and duty.
Suri’s screenplay expertly sidesteps heavy-handedness, allowing the political themes of caste, sexism, and systemic violence to blend seamlessly into the film’s atmosphere. These issues are never explicitly named, but they pulse through every scene, conveyed in small yet powerful moments: officers laughing at an illiterate man, slurs thrown at a Muslim boy, the refusal of medical staff to handle a Dalit girl’s body. These incidents reflect Santosh’s growing realization that justice is not a straightforward endeavor. As she’s forced to reckon with the compromises and inequalities inherent in the system, her story becomes a microcosm of India’s complex social landscape, one where survival often requires a morally gray approach.
The film’s authentic representation is further enriched by Suri’s use of non-professional actors from local communities, whose presence lends a raw, unfiltered quality to the film. This choice amplifies the film’s realism, capturing the rhythms and nuances of rural life that often go unseen in mainstream media. Cinematographer Lennert Hillege’s visuals enhance this sense of authenticity, shifting from a documentary-like style in the beginning to more intense, claustrophobic shots as Santosh’s desperation grows. The haunting cinematography and score create an atmosphere that mirrors the psychological tension of the case, turning Santosh into a gripping and immersive experience.
Santosh is a triumph of storytelling that manages to address social issues through compelling characters and rich atmosphere without resorting to didacticism. This film allows viewers to reflect on the complexities of justice, duty, and personal ethics in an inherently flawed system. Rather than delivering easy answers, Suri’s film invites audiences to ponder what change might look like for the Santoshes of the world, those who live at the intersections of oppression and resilience. Santosh leaves an indelible impact, not by telling us what to think, but by showing us what to think about.
