Review : Sukhee : Women (Housewives) empowerment!

Just recently The Nari Shakti Vandan bill was passed by the lawmakers in the Indian parliaments. Over the years women have been fighting for equality and in many fields they are rubbing shoulders with men. In the men centric world, the women’s rights were obliterated, across the world, and in the modern era there has been an awakening about the same. Back home in India women have voting rights since the country’s inception, unlike some so called developed countries, but the male dominance in the day to day life prevails even today. Woman is expected to look after her family by doing household chores, raising children etc. Though it’s a full time job, their efforts are relegated to zero many a times. Movies raising there issues are being made earlier and Sukhee, headlined by Shilpa Shetty Kundra, joins the list.

Sukhpreet Kalra (Shilpa Shetty Kundra) is fondly called Sukhee. Sukhee is a middle aged, middle class housewife who used to be ‘riot’ during her school-college days. She had a bunch of friends who were really wild and naughty. Sukhee looks after her husband Guru (Chaitanya Chaudhary), school going daughter (Maahi Jain) and great grand father-in-law, but her husband and daughter takes her for granted. She once used to be a high spirited girl now is fighting existential crisis. Suddenly she receives an invitation for a school reunion and she wants to attend it to break away from boredom. Her friends (Kusha Kapila, Dilnaz Irani and pavleen Gujral) urge her to visit Delhi for the reunion but there’s an opposition from her husband. Sukhee decides to defy everyone and without informing the family ventures out to Delhi to get over her inner turmoil. All hell breaks loose due to her action at her home and neighbourhood and what happens next is the crux of the story.

The writer director Sonal Joshi has shown wild friendship between the girls/women but doesn’t go overboard by depicting sexual freedom. This dramedy talks about suppressed feelings of millions of middle or lower middle class wives who forfeit their dreams after marriage. It underlines the importance of being a housewife which is a full time 24 hour job. The film’s first half reminds of English Vinglish as the happenings have high resemblance. In the second half the film looses track as the director looks puzzled as what to do at hand.

The film concentrates only on Sukhee’s life hence without beckstories of other friends makes it one dimensional and predictive and repetitive. The editing should have crisper as the length looks too long. VFX is used beautifully to make Shilpa look younger in her college days. Again Shilpa is made to look 40+, convincingly. Shilpa does justice to her role and tries sincerely to carry the film on her shoulders. She looks beautiful in her sultry as well as middle class housewife getup. She is well supported by Chaitanya Chaudhary and Maahi Jain.

Sukhee’s story is found in many Indian households and the film will appeal to female audiences.

**1/2

Keerti Kadam.