Rudaali (1993): cast, story & where to watch
1993 · Film · ★ 5.2
Released in 1993, Rudaali is a drama film directed by Kalpana Lajmi, running about 128 minutes.
What it’s about. Shanichari is a beautiful girl born in lower cast and her life is full of sufferings because of lower cast, poor finances, lost parents, drunken husband, mischievous son. The title refers to a custom in some parts of Rajasthan—where aristocratic women were long kept secluded and veiled—of hiring professional women mourners on the death of a male relative, a rudaali (pronounced “roo-dah-lee”—literally, a female “weeper”) to publicly express the grief that family members, constrained by their high social status, were not permitted to display—or at times, perhaps did not feel. Underwritten by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and Doordarshan (Indian national television) and based on a short story by famed Bengali author Mahasweta Devi—whose tales often focus on the travails of low-caste women.
Who’s in it. Rudaali stars Dimple Kapadia as Shanichari, Rakhee Gulzar as Bhikni, Raj Babbar as Thakur and Raghubir Yadav as Budhwa, among others.
How it landed. With an audience score of 5.2/10, Rudaali has proved divisive with audiences.
Where to watch. In IN you can stream it on JioHotstar, EPIC ON, VI movies and tv and NFDC Amazon Channel. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Rudaali page.
If you liked it. Fans of Rudaali tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.
Frequently asked
- Where can I watch Rudaali (1993)?
- In IN, Rudaali is available to stream on JioHotstar, EPIC ON and VI movies and tv. Availability varies by country — check our where-to-watch page for every region.
- Is Rudaali worth watching?
- Rudaali holds an audience score of 5.2 out of 10, and is a strong pick if you enjoy drama. Reactions are mixed, so it may depend on taste.
- Who stars in Rudaali?
- Rudaali stars Dimple Kapadia, Rakhee Gulzar, Raj Babbar, Raghubir Yadav and Sushmita Mukherjee.
- When was Rudaali released?
- Rudaali was released in 1993, with a runtime of about 128 minutes.