JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Love Sonia Movie Review: Mrunal Thakur and Freida Pinto's film gives a subtle voice to the brutally voiceless
Love Sonia is hard to watch for the brutal honesty that many social message dramas fail to accomplish but it deserves to be watched. Read below for the full movie review of Love Sonia.
'Mumbai Meri Jaan,' is a phrase every Mumbaikar proudly proclaims. It is the city that never sleeps and is full of hopeful aspirants who want to make a name and be remembered. We usually see Mumbai for its loud, colourful and vibrant flavours but lurking in the shadows are the ill-effects this city, unfortunately, has to offer. Love Sonia tackles that aspect of the city and bravely speaks about human trafficking and the global sex trade through the emotional tale of two sisters - Sonia (Mrunal Thakur) and Preeti (Riya Sisodiya).
Tabrez Noorani (producer of Slumdog Millionaire), who makes his directorial debut with Love Sonia, subtly showcases the atrocities faced by women and their slow descent to hopelessness. Tabrez uses cinema as a tool to give a name to the voiceless and let them be heard. He boldly tackles the taboo topic and shows the inner workings of prostitution and brothels in Mumbai. The brutality is spectacularly subtle but at the same time leaves you numb and speechless. It is not only India that Tabrez targets; he also ventures into the global sex trade in cities like Bangkok and LA. He doesn't stereotypically blame India for such practices but gives a worldwide view in general. The storyline is a simple tale interlinked with the evil that takes place and it awakens the ignorant trait in all of us.
Love Sonia is the tale of Sonia and her search for sister Preeti, who gets sold and sent to Mumbai as her father (Adil Hussain) is facing major money issues. Sonia is then taken to Mumbai and the fairytale bubble that she had of the city bursts as she gets enlisted into a brothel under false pretences of meeting her sister. The brothel is owned by Faizal (Manoj Bajpayee) and in it, there are prostitutes like Madhuri (Richa Chadha) and Rashmi (Freida Pinto) who show us the future of Sonia and Preeti. What follows is a gripping and emotional tale that gives us the depth of how gruesome this 'business' is and how innocence as a virtue is destroyed completely.
Mrunal Thakur makes a bone-chilling Bollywood debut and uses Love Sonia as the right benchmark to show her acting prowess. It is her raw, rough and tenacious emotions that leave an imprint on you even as you leave the theatre. Riya plays the beautiful naive sister with grace and her slow descent into madness is heartbreaking to watch. Manoj plays the evil antagonist with such fervour that you want to strangle him and make him take a taste of his own medicine. Richa's ruthlessness is terrifying while Freida is almost unrecognisable as she showcases the insanity one infuses when in such a situation.
It's astonishing to see Rajkummar in yet another movie after Stree and one wonders when the actor even had the time to shoot for it. As the social worker Manish, Rajkummar plays the knight in shining armour and is the right opposition for Faizal and in spite of the limited screen time, the actor makes do of his part. Adil as Shiva and Anupam Kher who plays Baldev Singh are acting veterans who add depth to the titular character and show us the difference between overpowering guilt and ruthless aggression. Demi Moore and Mark Duplass have special appearances and don't make much of an impact other than furthering the storyline.
The cinematography heavily focuses on close up shots and shows the varying shades of emotions that each character feels - whether it be the torment and torture in Sonia's eyes or the eventual path of giving up through Preeti. The background music gives the eariness feeling of dread and leaves you spellbound, not in a positive way.
With social issue dramas, one usually has a sad ending and the moral of the story is that once you are trapped, there is no coming back. However, Love Sonia is not that stereotypical. A memorable scene in the second half is between Selma (Demi Moore) and Sonia as the latter narrates her tale of struggles. In spite of the downhill battle and struggles she has had to endure at such a tender age, the protagonist finds 'hope'. And in the process, the young girl becomes an adult.
In conclusion, Love Sonia is hard to watch for the brutal honesty that many social message dramas fail to accomplish but it deserves to be watched.
Love, Pinkvilla.
We rate it a 70% on the movie meter.
Latest Articles
