Director: Mahesh Dattani
Rating: 4/5
This film has been on Netflix for a while, but I haven’t watched it because I really need to be very relaxed and in the right frame of mind to watch a film that is not in English.
The film is clearly a low budget one, which is visible in sound, camera but also in acting which is not always convincing. However, it is an important film worth watching because it tackles an important topic. The topic is abuse of women, and it is not that this happens just in India. Different forms of abuse have always happened to women just that in different ways and in a different cultural context.
Thus, at present we are listening about abuse of women in Hollywood and politics, which is pertinent to the Western world where women often get abused when they try to get to more prestigious positions. We do not speak enough about domestic abuse of women or sexual abuse that happens within family circle. This is what this film tackles.
In this film we follow a story of Mala (Ira Dubey) who has been abused by her uncle. Her mother knew about it but never said anything. Mara is confronting her in an attempt to talk about her issues and the reason she can’t keep a relationship and why she has regular sessions with a therapist. As it turns out, her mom could not speak for her because in the past she has not even spoken for herself….
The film shows that the abuse, unless stopped, is a vicious circle that continues with each generation and leaves traces on character, behaviour and ability to form healthy relationships. We cannot and should not stop talking about this enough, and that is why this film is important.
Thank you for reading.