I was misled by the excellent editing of the trailer because whaton earth was this?! The audacity to tackle such a suffocatingly helpless topic in a casual sitcom-like manner was incredibly insensitive.
Divya Dutta plays Kamlesh, the older daughter-in-law of a family system which includes her accommodating and kind husband, a well-connected and educated father-in-law, friendly mother-in-law, a daughter (who she’s sad about having as it isn’t a son) and a brother-in-law who she’s raised as her own son. There’s also a forgettable grandmother-in-law who serves no purpose other than to indulge in sweets and deliver a brief, pointless monologue.
The story begins with the family visiting another in pursuit of a bride, Prasanna Bisht as Pooja, for the younger son, Siddharth Shaw as Arun.
Dutta’s first question to potential bride is whether she always wear blouses with a low neckline. She also yanks the engagement rings forcibly off the girl’s fingers for having participated in an LGBTQ+ rights rally.
We would anticipate that, to be the end of the potential match, a foreshadowing of the narrow-mindedness and displaced authority at home. However, as happens in India, most of the time, the bride has a father who suffers an incident called an angina in medical terms and blackmail in emotional terms. The loss of agency is absurd and offers no explanation other than melodrama.
Dutta opens up about her insecurity of being replaced by a newer, shinier, and more educated daughter-in-law, and all is well in that household.
Bisht is raped on her wedding night by Shaw.
Bisht runs away only the next morning, to be brought back home. Her own mother refuses to even acknowledge her anguish, stating everything is permitted in marriage. Intense scenes that follow make us believe Dutta is turning over a new leaf, learning, and being more empathetic. It’s utterly unbelievable that a female doctor would fail to report wounds on the private parts of a newly married young girl, as a medico-legal case.
The daughters-in-law protest against the situation and leave home to seek refuge with seasoned actor Tinnu Anand, who plays an advocate, only to learn the harsh reality that marital rape isn’t criminalised as per the Indian legal system.
The story could have taken many turns from there, have the audience suffocate in the quicksand of inescapable reality or Bisht could have walked out and fought against odds.
This is where the narrative takes a nose dive and garners wrath. Bisht tries to file a DVA case against her in laws citing dowry harrasment but her plans are foiled by Dutta who opines one ought not to falsify events and files legal suits for incidents that never occurred.
So how does the narrative pan out? The daughters in law return home, there is no mention of how Bisht survives in that same household, they organise a satsang where they expose Shaw – who believe it or not, apologies for this “mistake”. Not even laughable, this is unfathomable mockery. Cue music while the ladies walk out in slow motion. What in the ever loving fuck?!
Tags: Chiraoya, Divya dutta