Choked (2020) - The Pillais - Sarita (Saiyami Kher) and her husband, Sushant (Roshan Mathew) begin almost every morning with a squabble over a clogged sink. And it soon gives way to an exhaustive list of all the chores that Sushant has shirked around the house - a copious count of which is maintained by their little son Sameer. Who often turns into a mediator for their petty fights. It’s obvious Sushant and Sarita are poles apart in their temperament.
While Sarita juggles managing the household, her job as a cashier at a bank and routine follows up on Sameer’s school homework, Sushant is unable to hold on to any job over a period of time. From being a driver for a shared cab service to trying to sell insurance policies, he seems to have tried it all.
Now life for him flits between playing a game of carrom with his building buddies and missing out on simple chores. There’s also money that he owes to people who have now starting hounding Sarita for their payback.
With financial strains looming large over them, Sarita and Sushant drift apart in their marriage. Once helmed together by their common dream to make it as musicians in Mumbai. While all that’s left of it today –- is Sushant strumming a few strings with all the time he has at hand and Sarita making a noise about all that’s come undone.
So, one night when Sarita stumbles upon bundles of notes spurting out of their choked drain pipe, it feels as though some of their problems could be put to rest. Keeping Sushant completely in the dark about this mysterious development in their household, she starts stuffing the notes in careful corners of the house. But perhaps, she has she bitten off more than she can chew.
Suddenly, with the government announcing demonization, Sarita’s plans take an unexpected turn. There’s always a chance of the truth leaking out, right?
Even as the story centers on Sarita frustrations and aspirations, Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Choked’ plays out the relationship dynamics between the couple with a nuanced touch. Also, as the setting builds up, we get a peek into the lives of their neighbors and it breathes life into the everyday momentum of the middle-class life.
The first hour of Choked is tightly-paced with a compelling background score, detailed ambience and well-defined characters that keeps you invested. Although in the second half, it does lose its grip in places, along with a few oddly placed songs that interrupt the flow.
However the screenplay (Nihit Bhave) brings us a unique premise with every day characters caught in an unusual situation. The writing is finely layered which helps bring to life the characters and the high moments in the film. And the dialogues add to the spark.
The performances are top-notch. Saiyami Kher shoulders the film confidently and pulls off a stellar performance. Roshan Mathew nails it as the unreliable but soft-hearted Sushant. Watch out for the scene where he brings Sarita her lunch to office and has a moving conversation with her before leaving.
Amruta Shubhash and Rajshree Deshpande as well-meaning neighbors, liven up the scene. The background score (Karsh Kale), sound design (Gautam Nair) and cinematography (Sylvester Fonseca) set the mood brilliantly.
As ‘Choked’ opens its doors to a middle-class Maharashtrian set up, it also draws us close to their dreams and aspirations which have perhaps gotten choked by the drudgery of everyday life.
STORY:- When Sarita Pillai discovers that the clogged drain under her kitchen sink is spitting out bundles of neatly packed cash, she thinks that finally her family’s financial woes will see an end. But will it?
REVIEW:- Right from the first frame, ‘Choked’ hooks you with its mood and milieu. Set in a middle-class housing society in Mumbai, replete with its narrow staircases, yellowed walls and peeling paint, we get an inside into the Pillai family and their close knit neighbors.
Choked(2020) Initial release: 5 June 2020
