Daijiworld Media Network - Cinema

Mar 1: In Sonchiriya, Abhishek Chaubey spins out a bandit drama, set in the deadly and dark ravines of the Chambal in the mid-1970s, during the time of emergency. It tells the story of the rebels and their lives in the ravines of the Chambal. A local woman on the run with a little girl also forms a crucial part of the film.

Sonchiriya, on the surface, has all the necessary marking of a bandit drama, the gore, the bloodshed and the bandits, the cops chasing the rebels, the shootout, revenge, looting and killing! However, at a deeper, philosophical level, this movie deals with a much soul-wrecking question, when Lakhna (a bandit, brilliantly played by Sushant Singh Rajput), asks Man Singh (the leader of an outlawed gang in Chambal, played by Manoj Bajpayee), “What is a baghi’s dharma, Dadda?”

This movie, time and again deals with remorse, honour, and chances for redemption! This movie is about troubled souls, about people who are trained to kill, but have troubles looking into their own past and deeds. Abhishek Chaubey, shows us the hard-hitting reality of the caste system, showcasing the historic rivalry between the Gujjars and Thakurs. This film portrays the naked reality of how dangerous these ravines are for humans, and more so for the women and girls of the Thakurs and the Gujjars

Chaubey and Sudip Sharma (screenwriter), who earlier worked together on Udta Punjab (2016), has again done a splendid job in terms of strong narratives, dynamic filming and sharp writing. Through the dialogues on the caste system, the status of women or the moral ethics of the bandits, they show us the dangers and the vulnerability that lies within the beautiful land and clear waters of Chambal. The tale of guilt and expiation, is beautifully crafted in to this film.

Sonchiraiya has an ensemble of brilliantly talented actors. The likes of Manoj Bajpayee, Sushant Singh Rajput, Bhumi Pednekar, Ashutosh Rana, RanvirShorey, JatinSarna, Harish Khanna, Sanjay Shrivastava, put up such an unblemished performance and aces it!! It looks like they are actually living and breathing the parts, the actors are a thrill

Director and co-writer Abhishek Chaubey, along with a gripping screenplay by Sudip Sharma, outstanding camera work, editing and back ground score, dishes out a tale of violence and its repurcussion, crime and retribution, caste and gender, despair and redemption which is still relevant in today’s day and age.

Sonchiriya, shows us a bigger picture among the minute details and everyday struggles of the real humans set in a harsh and dangerous world