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The Square Circle
Amol Palekar | India | 1996 | 103 min. | documentary drama

In The Square Circle, a man trained to perform as a woman in musical drama becomes obsolete, replaced by the real thing. The handsome, wandering transvestite joins up with an innocent countrygirl on the run from some louts pursuing her for brothel work. After a brutal rape, the young woman disguises herself as a boy. In this unusual road movie, director Palekar keeps a sharp eye on the beautiful, expressive landscapes of rural India. And his cross-dressing odd couple provide tragicomic insight into the knotty matters of sexual passion and gender stereotyping. This parody of Hindi musicals is only superficially outré; at heart it's full of tolerant wisdom about the nature of man, woman, lust and love.

DIRECTOR: Amol Palekar
STORY/SCREENPLAY: Timeri N. Murari
ADDITIONAL SCREENPLAY: Chitra Palekar, Shashank Shanker & Amol Palekar
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY: Debu Deodhar
PRODUCER: Pravesh Sippy and Dharam Priya Dass
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER: Timeri N. Murari
ORIGINAL MUSIC: Anand Milind

In Hindi with English subtitles

New York Premiere, 1997 Human Rights Watch Festival. Distributed by Mr. Dharam Priya Dass & Mr. Timeri N. Murari, Gateway Entertainment Pvt. Ltd., 26, Poes Garden, Madras, 600 086 India, Tel: 011-91-44-491-2143 / 44-491-8286 Fax: 011-91-44-491-5191.

Amol Palekar

Amol Palekar was one of the biggest film stars in India when he turned to directing in the mid 1980s. As a director, his credits include award-winning Akriet (Misbeggoten), award-winning Ankahwee (The Unsaid), Thodasa Roomani Ho Jayen (Let's Get Romantic!), and award-winning Banagarwadi (The Village Has No Walls). Palekar has also worked in television.

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