Rao Saheb

Rao Saheb is a 1985 Hindi period drama film directed by Vijaya Mehta, a noted theatre director. It is based on a Marathi novel Andharachya Parambya by Jaywant Dalvi, on which he also wrote the play Barrister. The film set in small rural town in Maharashtra in early 19th century, and deals with clash of progressives and orthodox traditions, while depicting plight of women especially widows in traditional Indian society under feudalism and oppressive patriarchy. The film starred Anupam Kher, Vijaya Mehta, Nilu Phule, and Tanvi Azmi. At the 33rd National Film Awards for 1985 films, the film won two awards; Best Supporting Actress for Vijaya Mehta, while Sham Bhutkar won the award for Best Art Direction.