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Release
date:
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September 28, 2018
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Director:
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Sharat
Katariya
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Cast:
Language:
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Anushka
Sharma, Varun Dhawan, Raghubir Yadav, Namit Das, Yamini Das, Sawan Tank,
Manukriti Pahwa
Hindi
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If you are a halfway
decent soul, chances are you are a sucker for the underdog. Sharat Katariya’s Sui Dhaaga (Needle and Thread) - Made in India is designed to touch that
chord in us humans that makes sports fans sometimes cheer for a dark horse even
when she is on a rival team or from another nation.
This is the story of
Mamta (Anushka Sharma) and Mauji (Varun Dhawan), a young wife and husband
belonging to a community of artisans who have over a couple of generations
gradually turned their backs on their inherited trade – tailoring, embroidery,
block printing and other work involving garments and fabric – since the income
from these is
barely sufficient for their sustenance. Like Ved in Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha (2015), though in a contrasting
class setting, Mauji is pushed by his father to turn his back on a profession that his
heart is set on. Here however, unlike in Ved’s case, the parent’s goal for his
child is not wealth but survival even if it means being treated like a chattel
by his employer.
Mamta, though, wants
more than just money for herself and her husband. She wants self-respect. She also
believes that his tailoring skills could translate into a comfortable life for
them, if only he would believe in himself.
The film then is about
the pair’s joint struggles to become self-sufficient by turning his talent into
a profitable venture in the big city and to bring a smile to his well-intentioned
but cynical father’s face.
This is director Sharat
Katariya’s third film, his first being the well-meant but forgettable 10 ML Love and the second the
just-as-unforgettable Dum Laga Ke Haisha,
one of 2015’s best from Bollywood. It is hard to miss the thematic sisterhood
between Dum Laga Ke Haisha and Sui Dhaaga which is perhaps a reflection of
Katariya’s worldview, his desire/willingness to see marriage as a relationship
of equals, and his ability to write a strong woman without dipping into
Bollywood’s lately developed clichéd interpretation of feminine strength seen
most recently in Anurag Kashyap’s Manmarziyaan.
Unlike these
stereotypical women, Mamta never shouts and does not abuse – imagine that,
Bollywood, this kind of strong woman exists! In fact in some senses she is
painfully conventional, seeing the kitchen as her wifely duty and earning money
as his. Yet she is unconventional as hell in the way she inspires and
encourages him to dream for himself, and even more so when, as life saunters
along, she starts dreaming dreams for herself too.
Sui Dhaaga’s Mauji is very different from Dum Laga Ke Haisha’s Prem. Mauji is not dispirited and broken, he is an eternal
optimist whose constant refrain even through trying times is “sab badhiya hai” (all is well). If he allows himself to be treated
poorly by his boss at first it is because he is misguided into considering that
the practical choice to make, not because he lacks a sense of self-worth. Crucially, unlike Prem, Mauji treats his wife with
respect right from the start although it takes a while for their relationship
to transition from a formal footing to fondness and finally love.
Anushka Sharma gets a
rare chance to display her versatility in this film (and to act with a hero who
is not old enough to be her Daddy). Her Mamta is a calm, almost sedate woman, a
far cry from the bubbly and/or overtly fiery characters that have dominated her
career so far. She has been good in all those films, but it is nice to see a
director investing his confidence in her with this vastly different role.
She returns the favour with compound interest and a heartwarming performance.
Varun Dhawan is sweet as
Mauji. The comic timing that has been his calling card since his debut is
well-tapped by Katariya here too, but in a more underplayed fashion than in his
blockbuster comedies. Although he does not manage to subordinate his own
personality to this role in quite the way he did in Shoojit Sircar’s October earlier this year, Dhawan is
still consistently engaging as Mauji.
The supporting cast are
all unequivocally excellent.
Katariya’s screenplay is
packed with gentle comedy and warmth and many unspoken words. The most telling
moment in the film comes in a scene in which Mamta is rushing along behind
Mauji, Anil Mehta’s camera staying focused on their feet while she quickly
catches up with him and they walk together, side by side. It reminded me of a
beloved scene in a beloved film from long ago – the confidence in Arati’s
stride in the closing scene of Satyajit Ray’s Mahanagar. Mehta is back at their feet in another scene when he,
physically constrained, needs her assistance with the sewing machine.
The camerawork in Sui Dhaaga is an important contributor
to the endearing chemistry between the two characters and the statement about
their teamwork that Katariya seeks to make.
If the writing wavers,
it is towards the end when the people of Mamta and Mauji’s world are parachuted
into a high-society urban crowd. (Possible
spoiler alert) Here and here alone, Katariya’s tone falters, and he seems
unsure about how to portray the culture shock that basti dwellers would inevitably experience on their first visit to
a Page 3 party or the green room at a fashion show. The effort not to be
patronising to the ‘little people’ is clearly a strain, and shows up for
instance in the possibly unwitting cutesification of a bunch of country
bumpkins peeping through a barrier to watch models in various stages
of undress.
Besides, would an old,
traditional Indian couple suddenly feel comfortable enough to hold hands in
public on a stage merely because of the change in environment? And would a
woman who is habituated to traditional Indian attire complete with pallu-covered head 24x7 suddenly design
a Westernised gown with a dipping neckline for herself? I doubt it.
(Spoiler alert ends)
The
final half hour or so of Sui Dhaaga is a departure from the realism of the rest of the film
and enters a fantasy realm that commercial Bollywood tends to prefer. it
also fails to convincingly capture Mauji and Mamta’s rather dramatic overnight
evolution from gifted artisans to sophisticated designers. This portion is what gives the film an uneven feel, but the trip till then is so rewarding,
so amusing, so steeped in tenderness, affection for the characters and
positivity that it makes the ride with Mamta, Mauji and their charmingly
eccentric family and friends completely worth it.
PS: Sui Dhaaga was shown with English subtitles in the
Delhi hall where I watched it. This is uncommon for a Hindi film yet an
important step towards bringing our cinema to the hearing impaired.
Rating (out of five stars): ***
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CBFC Rating (India):
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U
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Running time:
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122 minutes 29 seconds
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This review has also been published on Firstpost:
