Amar Akbar Anthony

One of the most significant films of the Indian Parallel cinema movement, Maya Darpan focuses on Taran (Aditi), who lives with her father in a small town on the cusp of industrialization. Taran has a strained relationship with her father, who is increasingly bitter as he is unable to find a suitable match for his daughter. The young woman finds solace in her interactions with an engineer, and claims her freedom by becoming his lover. The film was considered a breakthrough in cinematic language, as director Kumar Shahani adopted a painterly approach that moved away from a linear narrative using color, movement, and sound to represent Taran’s isolation and the conflict between the individual and society.