Never Ending Movie Carnival
Never Ending Movie Carnival
UnWoman movie review: A Hard – Hitting Cry For Love, Acceptance and Humanity
What: UnWoman – featuring real life LGBT community member Kanak Garg holds the mirror of this prejudice societies outlook towards sexuality, the Pallavi Roy Sharma directed film is probing and hard-hitting cry for love and acceptance.
UnWoman movie synopsis
Set in the remote interiors of Rajasthan, UnWoman is the story of Sanwri (Kanak Garg) a kinner who is forced to get married to Bhanwar (Sarthak Narula) a simpleton from a nearby village.
It’s a story of that part of India were a girl child is killed after birth and the need of a ‘housewife’ is fulfilled by buying bride from other villages.
Bhanwar’s Uncle Bhairo (Bhagwan Tiwari) is the typical male chauvinist patriarch of the house for whom a woman is just a ‘paav ki jhooti’.
Bhanwar has sold his piece of land and purchased Sanwri from a human trafficker who has conned them by saying Sanwri is a woman.
To avoid embarrassment from the village, Bhairao and Bhanwar decide to keep Sanwri’s identity as a secret.
However, Sanwri’s sweet, kind and caring nature wins Bhanwar’s heart and they fall in love with each other.
Things are going smoothly for everyone but one-night hell breaks loose and Sanwri’s reality comes out in open.
What happens next?
Daayra, Darmiyan, Shabnam Mausi, Tamanna, the rare list of Hindi mainstream movies on Kinner/LGBTQ gets a welcome addition – UnWoman.
A compelling and relevant human cry for love and acceptance, UnWoman by Pallavi Roy is a rare simple, pure and realistic account on how society treats a kinner/LGBT community people.
Sensitive, raw, and real in approach with touch of an indie arthouse, UNWoman has won accolades in various festivals in India and abroad and it requires courage to make and distribute such labelled ‘art’ house cinema which in reality caters to everyone.
Pallavi Roy narration on screenplay by herself and Susheel Sharma flows like a water, it’s simple, flowing and realistic. The best part is that the issue is handled with care without restoring to sensational OTT tactics.
The story may be from a small remote village in Rajasthan but the subject is universal, the almost flawless performance of Kanak Garg as Sanwri will win your hearts. The real life LGBTGQ community member is so natural that it seems you are watching a life on screen.
Sarthak Narula as Bhanwar is outstanding as well as the understanding husband.
The moments between Sanwri and Bhawar are lovely sweet metaphor of love acceptance and equality.
Bhagwan Tiwari as Bhairo is fabulous and does complete justice to his character.
The dialect deserves a special mention. Technically sound with Shakil Rehan Khan’s beautiful cinematography you are easily transported to the deserts. Abhay Rustom Sopori’s music is appealing and as per the subject. Costumes by Tanvi Chopra are apt.
Flaws
The debate on acceptance and sexuality should have been sharper during the climax. The movie does end on a harsh reality and asks questions but I would have appreciated if some more time given to the broader point of view during the climax.
UnWoman final words
All said and done, UnWoman is a probing and stirring cry for love and acceptance. Recommended for lovers of broad minded and sensitive cinelovers.
A child born from life & fed by cinema. A filmi keeda from child & a film journalist for the last fifteen years. a father, seeker, foodie who loves crooning bollywood melodies twitter.com/cineblues More By vishal verma