from still missing ladies, (Etiquette: youtube,
Kiran Rao returns to the director’s seat more than a decade after her debut film, Dhobi Ghat (2011), with a work that hits the right notes. She removes the marquee names missing ladiesProduced by Aamir Khan Productions in association with Kindling Pictures, and starring three first-timers, the lively tale of two brides caught in a terrible mix-up.
missing ladies Places women from the hinterland front and center and makes its point clearly about gender equality. However, the screenplay is neither scary nor edgy. It may not be entirely subtle as to where he’s driving, but he doesn’t overplay his hand either way.
Two newly married village girls find themselves in serious trouble. This is not of their making. In search of an end to their troubles, they each learn, in their own ways, that there are ways to overcome the darkness around them.
This is from 2001. In the fictional Nirmala Pradesh, two brides, on their way home with their respective husbands, turn into a passenger train. In that unsettling but life-changing chaos, they discover themselves and are never the same again.
Phool Kumari (Nitanshi Goyal), just out of adolescence, is stranded at a railway station when her husband Deepak (Sparsh Srivastava) deboards the train and a similarly attired and veiled bride traveling in the train arrives. (Pratibha Ranta) Like holding another man’s hand. Same box.
When Deepak reaches his village home with a woman who is not his wife, he and his family have to face the consequences of an embarrassing mistake. The bride introduces herself as Pushpa Rani. Deepak has no clue where Phool, the girl he married, has disappeared.
He and his companions spend the next few days searching extensively for the missing bride. They lodge a complaint at the local police post but Inspector Shyam Manohar (Ravi Kishan) is unwilling to take action. If anything, it only escalates matters.
Pushpa, on her part, doesn’t seem too worried that she is not where she should be. She even begins to develop relationships with two of the women in the family – Deepak’s mother Yashoda (Geeta Aggarwal Sharma) and his sister-in-law Poonam (Rachna Gupta). And thus lies a story which contains the seeds of rebellion.
Phool and Pushp (both are Hindi words for flower) are different in nature. The first is sad, a girl living in the forest who couldn’t even tell the name of the village she was visiting. The latter has his wits about him. She makes the most of the freedom that a home where she doesn’t belong unknowingly gives her. Pushpa is a bride without attendant bonds because she is not in the right place.
For the poor little flower, left to fend for itself in an unfamiliar, perhaps even unsafe, place, surviving in one piece is a challenge. She gets help in the form of a bubbly Chhotu (Satendra Soni), who does odd jobs at a rail platform tea and snack kiosk run by Manju Mai (Chhaya Kadam).
Manju Mai, who has rid herself of an alcoholic husband and a parasitic son and has no complaints about it, takes Phool under her wing and tells her that marriage is not a millstone around a girl’s neck. Begins to explain the importance of letting things happen.
This contrast may seem tangential at first. But look deeper and the two initial rebellions, one by a woman with a cause, the other by a clever woman with no choice, begin to make sense. There are two sides to the claim that women are lost in serious crisis.
Based on a story by Biplab Goswami and written by Sneha Desai (who also wrote the dialogues with additional inputs from Divyanidi Sharma), missing ladies There is a social satire with a clear feminist tone which gives the film its justification.
The film is airy and light at its level. Therefore, there is never any danger of getting bogged down in the important issues it addresses. Its simple call is in favor of the rights of women whose dreams are taken away after marriage and it is connected in simple ways that does not try to draw too much attention to itself.
Of course, the film isn’t saying anything particularly radical, but the way it expresses its concerns adds admirable emphasis. One thing is that missing ladies It’s definitely not heavy-duty. It avoids excesses. It says what it needs to do and moves on.
The danger that looms over Phool and Pushpa – part of it comes from a police inspector bent on taking advantage of Deepak’s distress as a result of the accidental exchange – exists only on those sides of the world where the missing women are Residence.
Social satire hits home because it is not only emotionally appealing, but also contains a lot of sarcastic humor. missing ladies is an ‘issues’ film that never fails to be entertaining. Without minimizing the seriousness of Phool and Pushpa’s difficulties, it finds room for hope in the most hopeless situations. Furthermore, the film accurately attacks patriarchy, the evil of dowry, domestic violence and gender roles imposed on women in marriage.
The three young heroes are presented wonderfully. Nitanshi Goyal exudes a combination of fragility and optimism with minimal effort. Sparsh Srivastava (Jamtara fame) is strong. Pratibha Ranta is a show-stealer.
Among the supporting actors, Ravi Kishan as a cop whose role in the story goes beyond just policing is brilliant. Geeta Aggarwal Sharma is perfect as always in the role of Deepak’s courageous mother. And what does one say about shadow step? She radiates radiance.
Several of the tertiary actors are also notable. No matter how much footage the film shows of them collectively and individually, they stand out. Satendra Soni, Rachna Gupta as Deepak’s sister-in-law and Durgesh Kumar as a slow-moving constable have contributed to the film.
missing ladies It becomes so perfect that a shock here or a flaw there cannot do any harm to its shape.
Mould:
Nitanshi Goel, Pratibha Ranta, Sparsh Shrivastava, Ravi Kishan and Chhaya Kadam
Director:
Kiran Rao
