What Is the Story About?
ZEE5 original film ‘Chhatriwali’ centres on a jobless young chemistry graduate (Rakul Preet Singh), who’s compelled to take up the job of a condoms quality control tester in a contraceptives factory. Trouble brews for her when her newly-minted husband (Sumeet Vyas) and his strict elder brother (Rajesh Tailang) find out about her ‘dirty’ job.
Chhatriwali is written by Sanchit Gupta and Priyadarshee Srivastava, directed by Tejas Prabha Vijay Deoskar, and produced by Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies.
Performances?
Rakul Preet Singh is suitably convincing and understated as Sanya. It is a meaty role for the fast-rising actress, not to say the fact that getting top billing in a film by a prestigious production house is quite an achievement by any standards. Sumeet Vyas is good as her unassuming husband, Rishi. Rajesh Tailang can render a relatively undemanding role such as this in his sleep, proficient actor that he is. His skill as an actor ensures that he lends credence even to the poorly-etched-out character of Bhaiji that he’s been handed in Chhatriwali.
Satish Kaushik is effortless in his role of the owner of the condoms factory. Dolly Ahluwalia, as Sanya’s mother, is entertaining as always. Prachee Shah Paandya is average as Bhaiji’s long-suffering wife. Uday Vir Singh is delightful as Sanya’s progressive father-in-law.
Analysis
As you begin watching ‘Chhatriwali‘ its similarities with Nushrratt Bharuccha’s underrated 2022 movie ‘Janhit Mein Jaari’ immediately dawn on you. In fact, Chhatriwali seems to be a clone of the 2022 movie, or at least 90% of it. You feel as if you’re watching Janhit Mein Jaari all over again – only the characters, settings and jokes are somewhat different.
Both films feature fiercely independent, brave and intelligent women who don’t mind working in condom factories, despite it being considered sleazy work in the conservative small-town milieu of both films.
Sanya lives in small-town Karnal, a town that seems to have been chosen as the backdrop of the story just to allow the writers to time-and-again invoke its most famous female native, Kalpana Chawla. Surprisingly, though Karnal is one of the most prominent cities of Haryana, none of the characters in Chhatriwali speaks in the typical Haryanvi dialect or accent. It seems as if the writers and director of the film are simply not bothered about lending authenticity to the narrative. The film could have been set anywhere in India and we would be none the wiser about its setting – that’s how uninspired and unimaginative the attention to detail in the movie is.
Coming back to Chhatriwali’s comparison with Janhit Mein Jaari, both films espouse the significance of using condoms as a means to safeguard women’s reproductive health, and prevent unnecessary miscarriages, abortions and maternal fatalities. But while this is about all the preaching that Janhit Mein Jaari does, Chhatriwali goes a step ahead, and enters ‘Sex Education’ territory. Sex Education pertains to both here – the taboo topic in Indian society, as well as Netflix’s hit British show. Though here it is Rakul Preet Singh’s Sanya who patiently answers all the sex-related misconceptions of her young wards.
This segment of the film is quite frivolous and does nothing to lend gravitas to the story. The questions that the teenagers ask seem quite silly, to be honest. Even sillier is the way Sanya goes about addressing the grave issue of lack of sex education among youngsters in the villages, towns and even cities of India. The end feels rushed and preachy, just like numerous similar social awareness movies end up in Bollywood.
That being said, Chhatriwali does have a couple of things that hold it in good stead. The humor in the film is on point. The film has several moments that compel you to smile and smirk. Sanchit Gupta and Priyadarshee Srivastava’s dialogues are very well written too. The quick pace of the film is another plus in its favour. The story moves at a fast clip, though needless songs break the flow of the narrative, not in a good way.
To sum it up, Chhatriwali is an average watch. Its glaring similarity with Janhit Mein Jaari is a definite drawback for the film.
Music and Other Departments?
The music of Chhatriwali is average and forgettable at best. Siddharth Vasani’s cinematography does nothing to enhance the storytelling. Shruti Bora’s editing is efficient enough.
Highlights?
Nothing as such
Drawbacks?
Its Astonishing Similarity to Janhit Mein Jaari
Did I Enjoy It?
I found it average, Nothing too Great
Will You Recommend It?
Not as Such; Watch Only if You Have Lots of Time in Your Hand and Nothing Else to Do
Chhatriwali Movie Review by Binged Bureau