Saand Ki Aankh (2019)

Saand Ki Aankh – amid all the Diwali festivities, make some time to watch this wonderful biopic that’s not just about achievements but also about shattering stereotypes and social shackles.

The film is inspired by the lives of Chandro & Prakashi, two sexagenarian women married to two brothers from the Tomar family at the helm of which is Ratan Tomar, the sarpanch of the village. Played by Prakash Jha, the character of Ratan Tomar is a male chauvinist, regressive personality who believes that the women of the family strictly belong to the kitchen and for rearing of children. Such stifling is the environment in the household that the freedom of opinions itself is a far cry, leave aside women’s empowerment and liberation. It feels like another place and another time centuries back and urban viewers may not even be able to associate with it. Saand Ki Aankh is the battle cry of Chandro and Prakashi against the regressive male supremacist attitude and their determination to beat the odds to prove that nothing is impossible to achieve.

Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu play the characters perhaps more than twice their age with aplomb. It’s a testament to the fact that talent transcends the barrier of age, and the new generation of actors can compete shoulder to shoulder with their more experienced peers. Prakash Jha instills fear and hatred. Although a biopic, the film has an interesting pace that doesn’t let the momentum flag. Debutante director Tushar Hiranandani infuses the narrative with enough poignancy and the right dose of emotions to ensure that the viewer sympathy continues to remain with the protagonists. The makeup of the two women could have been better perhaps, for at times they appear a little too sprightly and bright for their age.

Watch Saand Ki Aankh to be reminded that life’s still quite tough for a lot of people, but then there are a few among them who are ready to catch the bull by the horn and hit the bullseye.

Review by msunando