Chaukat review: Looking for God in others

4/5

What’s it about:

Chaukat is a Marathi short film about a young woman who works hard in the kitchen to prepare a meal that she will place before God as she prays. While cooking, she hears a voice and heads outside to see who has come to her door. On seeing an old man begging for food, she drives him away and continues her chores. What happens next that causes a change in heart for the young woman?

What’s hot:

This short film emphasizes the fact that looking for God in temples and prayers is not all it takes to be a religious person. In the film, it is pretty ironic that the woman prepares food to place before the altar while she drives away a poor old man begging for food.

When she heads outside for the second time, she finds the man sweeping her front yard. This scene emphasizes the fact that work is worship. This is when the woman hands him a small quantity of food, which he accepts happily.

However, we then see that she offered God a plate full of a variety of food, which she then gives the old man. The film teaches us that being a pious person involves being kind and helpful to those in need and not only following rituals and customs.

It also teaches us that it is okay to put our ego aside and help someone, even if we thought otherwise, earlier. In the film, the young woman puts her pride aside and runs after the old man to hand him the plate of food.

What’s not:

The film does not have many dialogues and may seem boring at times. There are also a few scenes in the film that appeared often and may seem repetitive. Other than this there is nothing to dislike about the film.

Verdict:

This short film is worth the watch, as it covers several important issues and urges each one of us to be better people.