INDIAN DRAMA "PARCHED" EXPOSES EXPLOITATION OF WOMEN IN EVOCATIVE FILM

PARCHED NOW PLAYING IN NEW YORK'S AMC EMPIRE 25, TIMES SQUARE, LOS ANGELES LAEMMIE MUSIC HALL AND SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA AT CINE GRAND IN FREMONT AND CAMERA 12 SAN JOSE

Writer/director Leena Yadav, one of the leading female directors in India, has  created a highly captivating drama that unmasks the cultural and ritualistic exploitation and subjugation of women. In vivid detail and beautiful cinematography from the Academy Award winning  Russell Carpenter of Titanic fame, the film follows the lives of three rural Indian women as they begin their slow journey toward bonding to fight the ancient traditions that hold them in servitude. As the film portrays, the oppression of women is all-pervasive, from the type of entertainment they are forced to provide at the local carnival, including providing sexual favors for cash,  rules that exploit their value in the local marketplace, spreading even into the home, where spousal abuse, families who ostracize women for desiring education or for expressing an opinion, and the bartering of children as brides is commonplace.

This award-winning film is brutal in its honesty, but presented in such an atmospheric fashion that the contrasting beauty and humanity of the culture is juxtaposed against the outright brutishness against women. The nuanced lighting and vivid cinematography make the horrific acts against the women even more shocking. 

The women live in a remote desert community of North West India. The widowed Rani (Tannishta Chatterjee, her vivacious best friend Lajjo (Radhika Apte) and exotic dancer Bijli (Surveen Chawla) talk openly about their struggles to overcome the oppression of men and society under the rules and customs of traditional village ways. Sex and women are a commodity to be bought and sold, even down to a teenaged bride sold off to be married to a spoiled 15 year old from a well-to-do family like so much chattel.

Part Bollywood, part suspense drama and part cultural panorama the film captures the beautiful desert landscapes, and rich, texture of village life in a way that transforms PARCHED into a heart-stirring portrayal.

"This story is my reaction to a misogynistic society that treats women as objects of sex," says director and writer Leena Yadav. The film gives the women characters a voice in a way that also emphasizes their humanity and their universal struggle.

PARCHED is distributed by Wolfe Releasing and will be released August 9 by Wolf Video on DVD/VOD and all digital platforms including iTunes, Vimeo On Demand and WolfeOnDemand.com as well as DVD vial Wolfe Video at major retailers.

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WORLD PREMIERE OF BROADWAY BOUND THE SPONGEBOB MUSICAL IN CHICAGO THRU JULY 10

Spongebob Squarepants was created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg  out of an unpublished educational comic book. It premiered on Nickelodeon in 1999. Seventeen years, two movies, two Emmys and 12 Kid's Choice Awards and $18 billion dollars in franchise merchandising revenue later, it is on stage in the Pre-Broadway World Premiere of The Spongebob Musical at Chicago's Oriental Theatre, 24 West Randolph, through Sunday, July 10. 

With a roster of Grammy Award winning songwriters, A Tony Award-winning design team and a visionary director, The Spongebob Musical is a highly imaginative, high energy production that transforms the lovable undersea characters of Spongebob Squarepants (Ethan Slater, in his Chicago debut), Squidward Tentacles (Tony and Olivier Award nominee Gavin Lee), Sheldon Plankton (Broadway and Off-Broadway's  Nick Blaemire, and Sandy Cheeks (Broadway's Lilli Cooper of Spring Awakening and Wicked), and a host of  other lovable animated sea creatures magically realized on stage as flesh and blood characters with a brilliant cast, eye-popping sets and an original score from a galaxy of the hottest composers and artists from the worlds of pop, hip-hop, soul, Heavy Metal and vintage Broadway.

Tina Landau, of Chicago's Steppenwofd Theatre, is director, with highly creative scenic designs from the team behind Fun Home, Hedwig and Spring Awakening that takes up the entire front of the house, creating the world of Spongebob's Bikini Bottom that practically spills into the audience,  Spongebob is a full-immersion experience, taking the audience into Spongebob's undersea world with a story that pits the plucky sponge against the forces of total annihilation with a message that even the most unlikely person can become a hero with enough self-belief and heart.

With original songs by Yolanda Adams, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Sara Bareilles, John Legend, The Flaming Lips, Cyndi Lauper, They Might Be Giants, T.T., David Bowie and others, with additional songs by Jonathan Coulton, The Spongebob Musical is a rhythm machine that will keep audience members young and old dancing in their seats.

Spongebob is beloved by both the younger set and a devoted following of adults who find its infectious characters and heart-warming themes universally appealing. That characteristic rings true throughout the two and a half hour show. It might seem a little long for the younger set, but there's enough to hold their attention, including moveable set pieces, special effects and high-stepping dance numbers (Squidward steals the show in the second act) that make it a sure-fired success when it reaches Broadway. The Spongebob Musical plays through Sunday, July 10 at Chicago's Oriental Theatre. For tickets and showtimes, visit BroadwayinChicago.com.