Laghushanka Movie Review: To tell or not to tell

Still from Laghushanka, Picture Courtesy: YouTube

Laghushanka
On: SonyLIV
Director: Nikhil Mehrotra
Cast: Shweta Tripathi, Kanupriya Pandit
Rating:

Nikhil Mehrotra has been credited for co-writing films like Dangal and Chhichhore. Both the films were about acceptance. In Dangal, the central character, who has four daughters, is dismayed as he wanted a son who could represent India at wrestling and bring gold for the nation, but then realised that winning the gold was more crucial than gender.

Watch the trailer of Laghushanka right here:

In Chhichhore, the whole idea of the drama was about accepting yourself, and how the idea of a loser and winner is based on one's perspective. In his short film, Laghushanka, that also is his directorial debut, Mehrotra not only narrates the tale of an imperfect girl, but also gives her a conflict that becomes the source of her and her family's embarrassment. She's a bed-wetter and is about to get married in two days.

A scene plays out early in this 15-minute short film where they all discuss telling the truth or letting it be a secret. The girl is played by Shweta Tripathi, and she makes this embarrassment her own with her performance. During her farewell, she doesn't break down and her family is perplexed too. She's afraid of what would happen if her husband comes to know the truth. She wakes up the next morning and realises she's done it again.

She calls her mother and this is the first time we see her cry. There's a twist in the tale and the film ends signaling a message about how it's all about embracing your imperfections. This is a genre that Ayushmann Khurrana has brought to staggering success on the celluloid. It's nice to see a woman take the narratieve forward.

Also read: Laghushanka: The Teaser Of This Short Film Is Inventive And Imaginative

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