The World Before Her

Twenty young women from across India arrive for an intense, month-long beauty boot camp — they are the hand-picked contestants for the Miss India pageant. Winning the coveted title means instant stardom, a lucrative career path and freedom from the constraints of a patriarchal society. In another corner of India we visit a camp for young girls run by the militant fundamentalist movement. Through lectures and physical combat training, the girls learn what it means to be good Hindu women. Moving between the transformative action at both camps and the characters' private lives, The World Before Her creates a lively, provocative portrait of the world's largest democracy at a critical transitional moment.