Why is this charismatic woman who grew up in palaces and gave speeches in Parliament incarcerated in a New Delhi prison and what is Mrs. Gandhi going to do to her?

SYNOPSIS:

Framed by her six months in jail during India’s 1975 Emergency, the film looks back on Ayesha’s life which spanned India’s struggle for political freedom and the emancipation of Indian women from polygamy, child marriage and purdah* Her family was among the over 500 kingdoms in the sub-continent during the waning years of British rule. Although she grew up in luxury, the idealistic youngster befriended the elephant keepers and staffs’kids, then spent three terms in Parliament crusading for the rights of the poor. Paradoxically, she also lobbied for the princely rulers who she believed were double-crossed by the Congress Party. The downfall of India’s historic kingdoms after independence is seen through the experiences of Ayesha and her boisterous, close-knit family.

*Purdah refers to the veiling and segregation of women and their segregation in the zenana or women-only quarters.