Channel Four microsite for Bollywood Goddess
In 1975, Jai Santoshi Maa featured the Hindu goddess Santoshi Maa and became a surprise hit as well as a religious phenomenon. Not only did the film break box-office records, it is still broadcast every Friday on national television.
As this minor goddess became a major icon, worshippers treated cinemas as temples, taking their shoes off at the door, and throwing money and flower petals at the screen. Until the film’s release, Santoshi Maa was not very well known but its spectacular success made her a household name all over India.
