Devi, Savita. Savita Devi was created by J.B.H. Wadia (Hansa, Hind Kesari, Lion Man (II), Thunderbolt (II), Vantolio) and appeared in the film Miss Frontier Mail (1936). Savita Devi is an Indian big game hunter. In Lalwadi, on the western coast of India, the wicked masked criminal Signal X and his gang are robbing trains, committing murders, and even blowing up trains. Signal X is actually Savita’s uncle Shyamlal, who is being paid by an airplane company to wreck railway travel as a way to promote the company. Shyamlal has at his disposal a technologically-advanced radio machine and a poisonous gas gun. When Savita discovers what her uncle is doing, she uses her guns and her athletic skills to put an end to his crimes.
Oh, boy. Miss Frontier Mail, starring the splendid Fearless Nadia. Who did her own stunts, even if it meant jumping a horse from a bridge on to a moving train. Who didn’t create the idea of the action-oriented, aggressive Indian film heroine, but was the iconic version of it, the 1930s Indian version of Angelina Jolie. Who is unknown in the West, but still remembered fondly (as is Miss Frontier Mail itself–see here for more) by Indian cineastes.