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A clean movie for the entire family, Sui Dhaaga captures life in a middle class family with aspirations to make it big, something that so many of us can relate to.
After a very long time has a mainstream movie been made in Bollywood which has touched my heart, and made me cry buckets… so much so that I had my husband and kids consoling me in middle of the movie!
Went for a show of Sui Dhaaga with family last weekend (it being the beginning of a long Gandhi Jayanti weekend and all, and me not being in a mood for a long road trip to a nearby hill station which hubby and kids were insisting upon, as September had been a killer of a month, work-wise).
Honestly, I had not gone with too many expectations. I had seen the review in Mint Lounge that morning, and had felt that it would be a decent family movie, so I asked my husband to book the tickets! On reaching the movie, and settling into seats with huge tubs of popcorn, I had no idea that the next few hours would be such a wistful trip down memory lane for me.
The movie had me at the opening scene itself… that ‘Machar daani lagake chhat pe charpai dal ke sona’, and waking up to an everyday morning struggle of the parents to ‘motor chali ki nahi!’… I could almost hear my father’s voice screaming across the house to my mother, checking if the tank on the terrace was getting filled! And there I was, transported back to my childhood house with a terrace, and an overhead water tank!
The movie went on to capture the daily struggles and nuances of a lower middle class B-town life so well, I was left astonished! Kudos to Sharat Katariya for capturing the life of the majority of India in smaller cities!
Anushka Sharma is Mamta, the bahu with a pallu on her head, overworked, with household chores from morning till night, with no time for love or romance in her newly wedded life. She has played this part with so much sincerity and conviction, that you wonder if it’s the same actress who was crooning ‘Mein bani teri Radha’ in a short red dress with Shah Rukh Khan a while ago! Hats off to her for a superlative performance here. For me, she was definitely the strongest reason to love the movie!
While big city women may discourse on feminism, it is really women like these who lead the way in bringing about any social change. And the way in the next scene her mother-in-law says ‘Mamta shaadi mein jaane se manna kar rahi hai… uske shaadi ke baad saare blouse dheele ho gaye hain…’ I can actually picture an ordinary household in any small town, where the daughter-in-law of the house feeds everyone else first, and has her own meal last, after finishing all the household chores of the day.
Varun Dhawan is charming as Mauji… you love his attitude towards life when he says ‘Sab Badhiya Hai’ between all the mayhem in the house, the taunts from his father, the deceitful behaviour of relatives, trickery of friends, and manipulation by bosses. If only he was a bit less good-looking! He looks devastatingly distracting in few of the scenes!
Apart from these fabulous performances by the lead actors, it is the Bauji (Raghubir Yadav) and Maaji (Yamini Das) who steal the spotlight as typical lower middle class parents. They are more worried about where the next meal will come from, and how the medical expenses will be paid, when Mauji narrates his dream of participating in Fashion Funda, a Fashion Show competition showcasing new and upcoming designers.
The movie leaves you inspired with a feel good message, that luck favours those who put in their sweat and blood to achieve their dreams. The encouragement provided to local artisans and the spirit of entrepreneurship throughout the movie is commendable.
My personal takeaway from the movie is that truly behind any successful man is a strong woman. Mamta isn’t as talented as Mauji, but she is his pillar of strength when no one else in the family supports him. She is the one who eggs him on to stand for himself, rebel against his bosses, start something on his own, and works shoulder to shoulder with him in setting up the business, all the while maintaining a dignified bahu stance. The art of how she tactfully gets her way through is a must-learn for me!
Overall, this movie is a must watch for anyone looking for start-up inspiration, and believes in values of determination, persistence, and perseverance to achieve their goals. A heart-warming movie from Yash Raj Films with some endearing performances! Bahut Badhiya Hai!
A version of this was published here earlier.
Image source: a still from the movie Sui Dhaga
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