EVERYTHING’S okay, but for the clichés. Pradeep Sarkar does manage to tell a heart-tugging story, second time on, after Parineeta. Only, the story is so old, as old and weary as the tawaifs of Benares, it makes you feel you are time-traveling to Bollywood’s distant past...When girls could only make moolah through the oldest profession in the world; when fathers wished they had sons instead of daughters ‘coz daughters could never be sons; when eldest sisters were the family’s sacrificial lamb, meant for slaughter; when weathered mothers made ends meet through the ubiquitous sewing machine; and when small towns were innocent, metros mean.
And the fact that all these clichés come pouring out, when the director is actually trying to seek out the quintessential modern Indian woman, makes the attempts even more ironical. Is anatomy still destiny for the modern Indian miss, mister director? Look around, take a reality check.
But our squabbles with the plot - and there are many - are just one side of the story. Sarkar’s narration, his no-frills tenor, his creative visuals and the natty performances by both Rani and Konkona do leave an impact and tug at your heartstrings in places. Badki (Rani) and Chutki (Konkona), two sisters in the sylvan ghats of Benares, lead a carefree life, despite the family’s impoverished status.
But dad’s sudden sickness, the threat of being homeless, with no paani-bijli send Badki on a job-hunting search to Mumbai. Dad tells her she’ll fail ‘coz she can never be a son; she says she’ll succeed, any which way and turn their crumbling fortunes. The call centre guy tries the casting couch therapy and dupes her, setting her off on a skin-and-flesh journey through Mumbai’s night life as an upmarket ‘escort’. The family gets rich, kid sister gets a job and a boyfriend. But does Badki get a second chance?
Well, Abhishek Bachchan’s there, holding her hand while she trembles with fear on a flight. But his presence is fleeting, almost a guest appearance. Actually, you don’t mind because the film solely belongs to Rani and Konkona, truly an empowered sibling show. Forgive the regressive tone all you feminists and modern males, watch the film merely for its performances. Konkona, incidentally, walks away with all the scenes.
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