To celebrate 100 years of Mahasweta Devi’s Literary Legacy, the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) 2026 will be screening Rudaali in her honour on Monday 17 August, 2026, 6 pm, Hoyts Highpoint.
Mahasweta Devi transformed Indian literature into a powerful instrument of resistance, giving voice to Indigenous communities, women, and the marginalized with unwavering honesty and compassion. Her stories exposed injustice while celebrating resilience, dignity, and humanity. Blending literary excellence with fearless activism, she redefined socially engaged writing, leaving behind a timeless legacy that continues to inspire readers, writers, and movements for justice.
She was honoured with various literary awards such as the Sahitya Akademi Award (in Bengali), Jnanpith Award and Ramon Magsaysay Award along with India’s civilian awards Padma Shri and Padma Vibhushan.
Devi wrote over 100 novels and over 20 collections of short stories[13] primarily written in Bengali but often translated to other languages.[14] Her first novel, titled Jhansir Rani, based on a biography of the Rani of Jhansi was published in 1956.[8] She had toured the Jhansi region to record information and folk songs from the local people for the novel.
Mahasweta Devi’s specialisation lay in the studies of Adivasi, Dalit and Marginalized citizens with a focus on their women. They were associated as protestor in the face of British colonialism, the Mahajanas and upper class corruption and injustice. She lived in the Adivasi villages in West Bengal, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh years after years, befriending them and learning from them. She has embodied their struggles and sacrifices in her words and characters
About Rudali
Sanichari is a rudaali, a professional mourner. After her husband dies, she joins a tribe of bonded labourers. Despite being buffeted about by a male-dominated society, Sanichari has never cried. A seasoned rudaali, Bhinkni, enters her life and suggests that Sanichari learns the tricks of the trade.
Cast: Dimple Kapadia, Rakhee, Raj Babbar, Amjad Khan, Raghubir Yadav, Sushmita Mukherjee
Director: Kalpana Lajmi
Kalpana Lajmi was an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter known for realistic, low-budget, women-oriented parallel cinema. She began as an assistant director under Shyam Benegal and made her directorial debut with the documentary D.G. Movie Pioneer (1978), followed by several documentaries. Her first feature, Ek Pal (1986), was followed by the television serial Lohit Kinare. She returned with the acclaimed Rudaali (1993), which won Dimple Kapadia a National Award. Daman (2001) earned Raveena Tandon a National Award. Her final film was Chingaari (2006).
Sources – IFFM & Wikipedia.
