What is "ijjodu"

Ijjodu is a 2010 Indian Kannada drama film written and directed by M. S. Sathyu, and stars Meera Jasmine and Anirudh in the lead roles. Srivatsa, Nagkiran and Arundhati Jathakara feature in supporting roles. The film is a story of a young photo journalist's brief encounter with a girl who was made a ‘Basavi’ at the altar of the village deity, to save people who were hit by a devastating epidemic. ‘Basavi’ is a cult very similar to that of the ‘Devdasi’. At present the ‘Devdasies’ have become regular sex workers because of the social stigma and more so for making a living. Lots of them are victims HIV+.

The film premiered at the Ahmedabad International Festival in 2009. It was released theatrically on 30 April 2010, following which it was screened at the Minsk International Film Festival, in Belarus, n November.