Shrimati review: Swastika Mukherjee’s family drama presents age-old patriarchy with peppy upper-class garnishing

3/5

Story: Shrimati (Swastika Mukherjee) is happily married to Anindya (Soham Chakraborty) and lives in an upper household with her sister-in-law Brishti (Trina Saha), mother-in-law (Debjani Bose), house help Kajol (Kheya Chattopadhyay) and son Kuttush (Avirup Sen). Prim and proper, salad-loving, maintenance-freak and well-heeled Mallika Sen (Barkha Bisht Sengupta) makes her feel inferior and she (Shrimati) breaks down. Unable to accept the fact that she is a social nobody, she embarks on a journey of seeking social validation. After shedding a few stones and going through a proper makeover with a fancy haircut and matching designer wears, she realises that it is her kitchen and family that gives her ultimate pleasure in life.

Review: Shrimati offers a free-flowing watch with lovely interiors and some very convincing acting. However, the film is riddled with problems.

In the journey of telling a story of women’s liberation, the film defeats the purpose of empowerment from the first shot. To show the contrast of Shrimati, the submissive and pampered housewife, the script brings in Mallika Sen – a flamboyant character painted with broad strokes of stereotypes.

Mallika is the young wife of middle-aged Mr Sen (Saumya Sengupta) – Anindya’s boss. She travels abroad, avoids healthy food and is evidently, snooty. She could have been a funny take on a high-society’s self-engrossed individual but the lack of nuance in the writing reduces her to a mean gold-digger. Meanwhile, the film also ridicules her husband, Mr Sen, for choosing to marry an attractive woman half his age.

The problems do not end there. Shrimati gets a grip of reality after her handsome hunk gym instructor Sid, played by Uday Pratap Singh, confesses about his interest towards Brishti. Many of her delusions fall apart after chasing an unattainable dream. On the other hand, the character of the household Kajol is deeply adored by the family. But none of the members could defend her from the guest's humiliation. It is easy to preach the idea of class equality but it takes a little extra to practise it in life.

The film however only deals with the superficial problems of Shrimati. It shows that the character is perennially unhappy. Despite her kitchen counters (she has two in her lavish, upper-class apartment), caring husband and affluent lifestyle, she speaks about how she is tired of the chores of cooking, taking care of her child and popping contraceptive pills on her husband’s demand. Sadly the film doesn’t elaborate her crisis beyond the surface level. The film portrays her as a coy and submissive woman who fears taking decisions, even about picking the right sari at a party. Such core dilemmas of Shrimati somewhat get misplaced.

The film, however, showcases a very good set of actors and actresses. Swastika leads the squad from the front. Soham is extremely good and poised in his character. With her eye rollings and backless blouses, Barka nails the character with all the right amount of noises. But the real revelations in the film are Kheya as Kajol and Trina as Brishti. Both of them are natural and effortless, and they hog every bit of attention as long as they are on screen. Those two characters are also delineated well. While we do not see much of Brishti’s professional life, her decisions, snappy dialogues and unconditional love for her boudi are a delight to watch. Uday Pratap and Ekavali add an extra oomph to the display.

The film also offers interesting music. Besides the pop songs, it also engages with the background score. Composer Soumya Rit has done a very good job in the music department.

Verdict: Shrimati is a one-time watch for the effortless acting and very fluid storytelling. Despite the problematic storyline, the film flows at its own pace with lovely shots and pleasing views. It has a sense of simplicity that is refreshing and interesting. Watch it for the Swastika-led team of actors.