Sukhee
Hindi (Theatres)
Director: Sonal Joshi
Cast: Shilpa Shetty, Amit Sadh, Chaitannya Chowdhry, and Kusha Kapila
Rating: 2.5/5
Films centered around bold women characters carry a certain aura as they blend realism and idealism. They are praiseworthy but quite often, they reconcile with the very ideas they seek to confront. Sukhee is no exception.
It revolves around Sukhpreet Kalra (Shilpa Shetty), a middle-aged homemaker dreaming of living her life but caged within four walls. While her husband Guru (Chaitannya Chowdhry) is insensitive and takes her for granted, her daughter Jassi unwittingly hurts her with her immaturity.
An invite to a school reunion rekindles old dreams. She meets her friends and enjoys the week of her life. The short break helps her look at her mundane life from a fresh perspective. Her husband and child also come to terms with the changed reality.
Similar in intent to some recent films, Sukhee is partially successful in tackling gender questions with subtlety. Dialogues like 'One day without me will help you realise what I do,' coupled with the hilarious struggles the husband faces, highlight unpleasant truths. Sonal Joshi picks up a challenging plot in her directorial debut but ditches radical unconventionality to be ‘socially correct’. Though the film speaks up for women making their own choices, the climax acts as an antithesis. With a loose script, the film is boring at times.
Shilpa pulls off her role with dignity and infuses her character with youthful vigour. Amit Sadh haunts the audience with an understated performance as an introverted lover. The film is worth a watch if you like women-centric stories, but don’t keep your expectations too high.