After receiving a great response at the Jio MAMI Festival in Mumbai last year, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana’s directorial debut has finally found its way to the audience. The movie features an ensemble cast of actors who are known for giving powerful performances – Sakshi Tanwar, Divya Dutta, and Saiyami Kher, among others. Titled ‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’, the movie is now available to stream on Amazon Prime Video. The slice-of-life film has already become the talk of the town after its release on OTT. If you are planning to add this film to your weekend binge, then here’s all you need to know about ‘Sharmajee Ki Beti.’
‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’: Story
The story revolves around three women with the same surname – Jyoti, Kiran, and Tanvi (played by Sakshi Tanwar, Divya Dutta, and Saiyami Kher respectively). Along with them, there are Jyoti and Kiran’s daughters – Shruti and Gurveen (played by Vanshika Taparia and Arista Mehta). The older women deal with their set of problems. Jyoti is an overworked teacher at a coaching center, and she cannot make time for her husband or her teenage daughter. On the other hand, Kiran Sharma has moved to Mumbai from Patiala, and she wants someone to talk to her. Her husband constantly ignores and belittles her. While Tanvi Sharma plays cricket for the Mumbai team and has a boyfriend who seemingly has a problem with her sporty life. Shruti and Gurveen deal with puberty and sexuality.
The story takes a turn when these women are hit with individual struggles in their lives. They battle loneliness, pain, anxiety, and heartbreak and finally find their footing. Each of these women find themselves throughout the film and it celebrates the essence of being a woman in its entirety.
‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’: Performances
Sakshi Tanwar as Jyoti Sharma has the most powerful performance in the film. She brings a certain nuance to the screen in her role as a mother, a teacher, and a wife. It is a treat to watch her silently struggle as she manages her work and her angsty daughter who raises some fairly good points about her parenting. Her performance lingers with you and makes you root for her despite her flaws.
Divya Dutta as Kiran Sharma is another actor who has delivered an outstanding performance. But at the same time, when you look closely at it, she does not deliver anything new. She looks at ease in her role because she has done similar roles in the future. At this point, it is exhausting to see her use the same cards to play all her characters. It would be interesting to see her in a new role where she does not play yet another chirpy and bubbly woman. But when it comes to her character, she has done full justice to it.
Saiyami Kher as Tanvi Sharma delivers an earnest performance. Frankly speaking, her performance did not stand out for me but that can be attributed to the fact that she had to hold her ground against Tanwar and Dutta who are marvellous at their craft. As Tanvi, Kher lacked that innocence and passion that was required of her. She just had to switch up her performance by a notch and she would have been excellent on the screen.
However, amidst them all, if there is one actor who took me by surprise, it was Vanshika Taparia. As Shruti, she packs a punch. Be it vulnerability, anxiety, angst, or even comedy, she held her ground thoroughly in all the scenes. The scene in which she confronts her mother has to be the part where she hits the bull's eye. You can sense her pain and sorrow of not having a caretaker through the screen. She was beautifully complimented by Arista Mehta, who plays Gurveen. Their camaraderie has shone throughout and will surely serve as a reminder of how things were easy yet so complicated in your teen years.
‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’: Script, Direction & Technical Aspects
The beauty of ‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’ lies in its simplicity and its celebration of the mundane. The film never promised anything groundbreaking, and it worked. It promised a celebration of womanhood and it delivered exactly that. All the characters, including the men, have been well fleshed out. Every character is given their time to develop and form on the screen. The best part was how none of the women were reduced to mere caricatures.
But it is this simplicity that comes to bite ‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’ back. As a writer, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana has managed to weave a heartwarming story. But as a director, the movie lacks substance. The scenes are not given ample time to simmer and burn and resolve. The conflicts are resolved in a matter of a few minutes. Having three main characters on board, Khurrana struggled with giving them ample time and that is why every conflict was resolved on the surface level without making any profound impact.
The movie has a lot of visual appeal. The colour grading pops and it makes every scene vibrant and easy on the eye. Additionally, the use of The Local Train’s song in intervals makes for a good song choice that does not overweigh the plot. The camera work is smooth, and the scenes tend to seamlessly blend into one another without making a jarring visual when the story jumps from one Sharma to the other.
‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’: Cast & Crew
Director: Tahira Kashyap Khurrana
Writer: Tahira Kashyap Khurrana
Cast: Sakshi Tanwar, Divya Dutta, Saiyami Kher, Vanshika Taparia, Arista Mehta, Parvin Dabbas, Sharib Hashmi, Ravjeet Singh, Sushant Ghadge
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Available On: Amazon Prime Video
Duration: 1 hour 55 minutes
Languages: Hindi
‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’: Can Kids Watch It?
Yes, with parental guidance.
Outlook’s Verdict
‘Sharmajee Ki Beti’ is a film that will leave you with a smile and a warm feeling in your stomach. The movie is, at best, a one-time feel-good watch and that is a good attempt from a debutante director. What works for this movie is that it is a woman telling a woman’s story. The characters feel human, and they are shown in their flesh and bone without placing them on a pedestal. The simplicity feels heartwarming, and the relatable factors will help this movie grow on you, especially if you are a woman. I am going with 3 stars.
