Sati is a 1989 Bengali-language Drama film written by Aparna Sen and Arun Banerjee. The movie is directed by Aparna Sen and produced by Nfdc. Close to the holy River Ganga, an ancient tree provides shelter and comfort to Uma, a mute, orphan, Brahmin girl. Treated like a drudge by her cruel aunt, Uma is also cursed by a horoscope that portends widowhood. This might not be such a bad thing as this is 1828 and it will be next year before the British outlaw the religiously enforced burning of widows on their husbands' funeral pyres (sati/suttee). However, the priest thinks it a sin that a girl over the age of puberty is not married and tradition has it that a younger member of the family cannot marry before an older one. A solution is found: Uma is married to the tree. When she becomes pregnant (the victim of an assault by the local schoolteacher) not even the superstitious villagers believe that the tree is the father and Uma is ostracised for having been unfaithful to her husband. Sent to live in the cowshed, Uma is forced to shelter in her tree when the cowshed is blown away during a violent storm. Lightning blasts the tree and in the morning Uma is found dead amongst the shattered branches and stumps. To the wonderment and consternation of all the onlookers, this most despised member of society has blood on her forehead resembling the vermillion that a groom puts on his bride whilst the manner of her death resembles that of an exulted sati. Written by van Goethem. Sati stars Shabana Azmi in the title role along with an ensemble cast including Arun Banerjee, Kali Banerjee, Pradip Mukherjee, Arindam Gangopadhyay, Shakuntala Barua and Ratna Ghoshal. The screenplay is written by Aparna Sen and Arun Banerjee. The music was composed by Chidananda Das Gupta along with Chandan Raichaudhri. Cinematography was done by Ashok Mehta and editing by Shaktipada Roy. The motion picture has a running time of 140 minutes. It was released on 23rd November 1989.