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An intriguing premise fuels Sonakshi Sinha’s latest film ‘Khandaani Shafkhana’. But an interesting concept does not guarantee a happy viewing experience.
#Bollywood #SonakshiSinha
Cinema Timings: https://gulfnews.com/cinema-listing#cinema/movie/HO00007148
See more at https://gulfnews.com/videos
An intriguing premise fuels Sonakshi Sinha’s latest film ‘Khandaani Shafkhana’. But an interesting concept does not guarantee a happy viewing experience.
#Bollywood #SonakshiSinha
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NewsTranscript
00:00Just because it's got a very intriguing subject behind it, it doesn't always make for riveting cinema.
00:11This is Manjusha Radhakrishnan from Gulf News Tabloid,
00:14and I've just been to watch Sonakshi Sinha's family entertainer called Khandani Shafakana.
00:20It's about a feisty Punjabi girl who inherits a sex clinic from her uncle,
00:26who's kind of a social pariah among his relatives.
00:29Naturally, the profession that he has chosen is frowned upon by his relatives,
00:34and Sonakshi Sinha, who plays the Punjabi girl, Baby Bedi,
00:38is not too happy about her inheritance.
00:40She's happy that she's going to run into some fun money,
00:43but she has to wait six months, and the clause in the uncle's will
00:47claims that she has to wait for six months, run the clinic,
00:50and then perhaps even sell it to the highest bidder.
00:54The premise is very interesting.
00:55In fact, this is one of the rare movies where it's spearheaded by a woman,
00:58it's directed by Shilpi Dasgupta, she's a first-time director,
01:02and Sonakshi Sinha does all the heavy lifting.
01:05It's one of those Bollywood films where you really want to like it,
01:08and you almost feel guilty for not appreciating it enough.
01:12But you cannot ignore the inherent flaws in this film.
01:16Firstly, it's very slow.
01:18In fact, you have to brace yourself for the language pace of this film.
01:23It takes around 60 minutes for the action, for the full story,
01:27to jump into high gear.
01:29And that's one of the biggest disappointments,
01:31because not everybody has 60 minutes at their disposal
01:34to actually wait for the plot to roll out.
01:37And that's a disappointment.
01:38But when it comes to acting, Sonakshi Sinha has done a decent job.
01:41She has enough charisma, and she has enough magnetic appeal
01:45to actually play the lead role and make us feel invested in Bedi's life
01:51and the kind of problems she faces.
01:53The episode where Sonakshi Sinha begins to run the clinic
01:56and her uncle's former patient comes to visit her
01:59feels very monotonous, and it feels very stretched.
02:02That's one of the downfalls of this movie,
02:04which had a very good concept to it.
02:06I mean, look at the premise.
02:07In many countries like India, such topics are rarely discussed
02:11and often frowned upon.
02:13So this movie kind of sheds light into
02:15why should there be so much stigma around the subject.
02:17It's very normal.
02:18It tries to normalise the topic of sex.
02:21I'm not very sure whether the court scenes
02:23and whether the episodes where they're trying to normalise sex
02:26is done in the most entertaining manner.
02:28There are several times when you're looking for the nearest exit
02:30and twitching around in your seats,
02:32and that's not a good sign while watching a film.
02:34But having said that, credit has to go to Sonakshi Sinha,
02:38Anu Kapoor, there is Varun Sharma.
02:41They've all done a good job to bring alive this story,
02:44which is never spoken about.
02:46It's an offbeat film and it should be looked at as an offbeat film.
02:49But the pace is very languid.
02:51Another thing that this film will remind you is of Vicky Donor.
02:54Now, if you remember, that was Ayushman Khurana's
02:57career-defining role about sperm donation.
02:59It was a comedy, but they did it a lot better.
03:02Somehow, the humour in that movie was snappier.
03:04Even Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, about a hero with erectile dysfunction,
03:09they did a good job of it.
03:11You know, the humour was more sharp.
03:13In this case, the humour feels a bit forced and contrived.
03:17Also, the movie is 150 minutes long.
03:20It could have benefited from some very good, sharp editing.
03:24Had it been shorter by 20 minutes,
03:26I think this movie would have been completely different.
03:29Now, if you're expecting to walk out of this cinema
03:33feeling on top of the world and feeling overwhelmed
03:36or with a big bang, then you're going to be mistaken.
03:39Because this is a movie that has to be enjoyed in a very slow language pace.
03:44If you're okay with that, then go watch it.
03:47I've gone with 2 out of 5.
03:49For my full review, go to gulfnews.com.