Visually stunning, poetic piece of cinema from director Deepa Mehta. Set in Varanasi in 1938, the film portrays the plight of Hindu widows who become ostracised from society once their husbands die; forced to live lives of poverty in ashrams and often having to turn to prostitution to make ends meet. It is a practice that continues in India’s most backward areas today and filming attracted much controversy – sets were burned by Hindu fundamentalists affiliated to the then ruling BJP party, production had to move to Sri Lanka and took five years to complete. The end result was worth the wait though. Music by AR Rahman and Mychael Danna.