Fearless: the Hunterwali story

This documentary traces the life of Australian born actress Mary Evans who performed in numerous Indian films of the 1930s and 1940s under the alluring nom-de-plume Fearless Nadia. With her buxom physique, blonde hair and blue eyes Nadia’s roles typically showed her displaying incredible strength and fortitude in the face of marauding forces and wicked villains. Her roles included “Hunterwali” (1935), “Diamond Queen” (1940), “Jungle Princess” (1942), “Tigress” (1948) and “Jungle Queen” (1956), among others. Nadia challenged the traditionally submissive roles played by women in Indian cinema and performed many amazing and dangerous stunts required for the action and swashbuckling genres in which she extensively worked. J.B.H. Wadia (1901-86), a frequent collaborator of Nadia’s, became a master of adventure films as a successful director and producer along with his brother Homi. Features extensive interviews with Fearless Nadia reminiscing upon her life in the cinema; intrepid stuntman and actor John Cavas (aka Cawas) who worked extensively with Nadia; as well as several other Indian filmmaker contemporaries of Nadia. Numerous clips from Nadia’s oeuvre are shown alongside explanations of dangerous stunt work and co-ordination, and technical developments in cinema. With English subtitles.