Sharmajee Ki Beti directed by debutante Tahira Kashyap takes full advantage of the actors and their skills but the writing still falls short. The characters and their stories are relatable and real but the storytelling isn’t at its finest. The message is drawn but the journey is a bit chaotic, the artistic quotient of the film truly remains in the eye of the beholder. The message purely only seems to be — the struggle is real, and it is without a doubt but the film has nothing more to offer. And that is fine.
The film begins with the introduction to the three leading ladies, all Sharmajee ki Betiyan. But the stories isn’t about their collectiveness or their similarities. The story is about their differences and how they end up going through a journey of their own. We have Sakshi Tanwar’s character who is a wife and a home runner alongside her supportive husband, but not so supportive daughter. Divya Dutta’s Mrs Sharma who moved cities for her husband but is left alone and behind in the process. Saiyami Kher’s strong and passionate role, a cricketer who has the lover of her life but his selective support puts conditions on her living. All three have aspects of women’s life which are expected from the society but also show how it completely fails them.
One of the best parts about the film are the child actors Vanshika Taparia and Arista Mehta. More Sharmajee ki betiyan who have their own thing going on, and most fun plotline of the film. Both are too young to be called women but have the most mature storytelling for kids we have seen in a long while in a slice of life film. As teenagers both can be seen coming to terms with their identity and sexuality in different ways. The film manages to cover all aspects of womanhood and what they go through but does it a little haphazardly.
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Written and directed by Tahira Kashyap, the film could have been shot as different short stories, of the women in same building but, the plot forces a connection between all three as neighbours. Some characters are just added for interaction but are completely forgotten for most part. While each character gets enough screentime, the screenplay doesn’t spend enough time to hone in on their struggles.
Saiyami Kher’s character is seen showing support to her partner one minute and drowning in her sorrows the next second without a big enough trigger. Ofcourse the result is what you expected but the screenplay doesn’t easily guide you to it. On the other hand, Shakshi’s story drives home the message with an emotional outburst but doesn’t explore the developing relationship between the mother and the daughter enough. Divya Dutta’s character goes through one of the most traumatic moments but it is brushed away very quickly as the runtime probably wouldn’t allow more exploration.
All three actors and the two child actors are great throughout the runtime without a dull moment which makes the film a fun watch. But it can’t compete with other releases that have better and more in dept exploration of the same topic. Though done well as a debutant, the film leaves much more to be desired.
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Cover artwork by Patrick Gawande/Mashable India