The Song of Scorpions 2017

According to an ancient myth, the sting of a scorpion in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan can kill within 24 hours, and the only cure is the healing song sung by a scorpion singer who counters the venom.

Nooran, Golshifteh Farahani, is an independent young woman living in a distant desert village in western Rajasthan. She comes from a tribe of scorpion singers and makes her living by curing scorpion stings through her singing. She is a beginner, yet she does not hesitate to take on cases because it is a source of income for her. The villagers disapprove of her for her autonomy and shrewdness. Even Nooran’s grandmother, Zubaida, Waheeda Rehman, an expert scorpion singer, rebukes her and tells her that she won’t accept the money Nooran earns by swindling the poor. Nooran loves Zubaida deeply, as she is the only family she has left. She also keeps some money for herself and shares the rest with her friend, Amina, Kritika Pande, to donate at the village dargah.

On one of her rounds, Nooran catches the eye of a camel-trader named Aadam, Irrfan Khan. He falls in love instantly and proposes marriage, but Nooran remains noncommittal. The men of the village beat him for attempting to violate one of their women, underscoring the strict code of conduct she navigates. Nooran later confides in Amina about Aadam, though it is not clear if she shares his feelings.

One night, Nooran receives a call that Aadam’s young accomplice, Munna, has been bitten by a scorpion. Zubaida is hesitant to send Nooran out in the dark, but Nooran accepts the task. She soon realizes it is a trap: Munna rapes her.

In the morning, Amina brings a wounded and traumatized Nooran home, only to face another shock. Zubaida is missing. Nooran searches everywhere for her grandmother, but she cannot find her. Overcome with grief, Nooran locks herself inside the house. When Amina checks on her, she sees a crowd of young men outside, making lewd comments about Nooran.

The villagers decide that Nooran has brought a bad name upon them and should be sent away. The women openly suggest that Nooran go to the city to continue earning a living by curing people—perhaps even by selling herself. With Amina by her side, Nooran resists, but the pressure of circumstance soon becomes overwhelming.

Her sense of powerlessness drives Nooran to accept Aadam’s marriage proposal. Moving into his house, she discovers that Aadam is already married and has a teenage daughter, Ayesha, Sara Arjun. Reluctantly, Nooran tries to adapt to her new life and gradually becomes a friend to Ayesha.

One night, after a quarrel, Aadam allows a scorpion to strike Munna. In agony, Munna hints that Aadam orchestrated everything—his coercion, Nooran’s rape, and possibly Zubaida’s disappearance. A dying Munna reveals the truth, leaving Nooran stunned and unable to act in time. She also learns she is pregnant, leaving her to wonder who the father might be.

Aadam returns home one day to find Nooran missing. He searches the dunes and finds that Nooran has allowed one of her pet scorpions to bite her. While Nooran accuses Aadam of the wrongs done to her, a remorseful Aadam tells Nooran that he truly loves her, before letting one of Nooran’s scorpions bite him. It is then that Nooran begins to sing the Song of Scorpions, but it remains unclear whether that song is meant to save herself, save Aadam, or bind them both to a fate neither fully controls.