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Glossary and Character Taxonomy  Breakdown by Country of Origin   Bibliography   Table of Contents    The Best of the Encyclopedia

Hunterwali. Hunterwali was created by the Indian creator Homi Wadia (Mala, Tarzan (II)) and appeared in at least three films from 1935 to at least 1942, beginning with Hunterwali.

Hunterwali is a Costumed Avenger. Twenty years ago the Princess Krishnavati, the devout and demure daughter of the King of an unnamed Indian kingdom, is driven out of her home, with her infant son Jaswant, when the wicked Prime Minister Ranamal kills Krishnavati's brother. Twenty years later Jaswant is grown and Krishnavati is married. Jaswant is hit by a car in the motorcade of Krishnavati’s husband, but Jaswant refuses the compensatory bag of gold. This catches the eye of the beautiful Princess Madhuri, as does Jaswant’s handsome face, and when Ranamal, who wants to marry Madhuri but has been refused, imprisons Madhuri’s father the King, Madhuri declares that enough is enough. She puts on a mask, takes up a whip (with which she is exceptionally skilled), and becomes the male Hunterwali, the “protector of the poor and punisher of evildoers,” roaming the countryside stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. She fights soldiers–twenty at once–rides across the tops of moving trains, and turns into a Robin Hood-like figure. She wins Jaswant’s love, defeats Ranamal, and frees the King. In later films she has similar adventures.

* I'm including Hunterwali in the Best of the Encyclopedia category because it's one of Fearless Nadia's iconic films. Hunterwali, along with Hurricane Hansa (see: Hansa) and Miss Frontier Mail (see: Savita Devi) and a couple of others, made Nadia into the iconic action star of 1930s Indian cinema. She became the archetype of the action actress for Indian audiences, and if they were bothered by Nadia (nee Mary Ann Evans) being white and of Australian origin they never let it show--they adored her. She did her own stunts (many of which were outrageous--jumping a horse from a bridge onto the top of a moving train, that sort of thing), was a legitimate film star, and acted in films that are only a little dated today. The nearest American equivalent would be Steve McQueen, I think, which is high praise for Nadia indeed. 

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