Sherni Analysis

Sherni (2021)

Directed by: Amit V. Masurkar
Starring: Vidya Balan
Streaming on Amazon Prime Video. 

The best part about the film is the tone, the subdued thriller, and the way it dips into the documentary territory once in a while where it feels like all these people are real, and all their stories are real. It keeps going in there for a bit, and it keeps coming back to the Bollywood thriller film tone. It's a unique tone. The way the setting is used, is also so good. It's quite rare to see such good usage of setting. Whether it's the way they use the location, the way they capture most of it in wide shots, and especially the way he uses the local people in the background, and sometimes in the foreground too. The husband's character being shown only on video calls, was an interesting way to show us and make us feel exactly how her personal life would be like. 

What didn't work for me as much in the film is that from a dramatic point of view, I couldn't feel the emotional stakes the film was presenting. Had I already been aware of the environmental issues, perhaps I could've felt it but with this film, I feel like I got to know some things but I didn't feel like I felt anything. And this is not something I had an issue with Newton - there I felt it. It's right there. They explore interpersonal conflict well between Neeraj Kabi and Vidya Balan - it's a small thing but it works. I wish the film explored more of the setting, and the thematic elements through such interpersonal conflicts. Because at the end of the day, the people and the characters is all that matters. Having said that, I like this film just for the unique tone it had and I felt like I was watching something different.