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The Lalitpur Metropolitan City was all over social media last month, this time for its positive contribution to urban management. As photos of the new cycle lanes it had put in place surfaced on social media platforms around the third week of October, the metropolitan’s initiative to build a cycle-friendly city and its contribution to sustainable urban mobility was praised by bicycle enthusiasts and common folks alike.

The clearly marked green path for cyclists in the Jawlakhel-Kupondole stretch looked welcoming in photos and the promise of a separate cycle lane gave a sense of relief to daily cycle commuters who had otherwise been braving heavy traffic of motored vehicles that had little regard for the pedaled two-wheelers.

But within a week, pictures of the same cycling lanes started surfacing again. This time, for a wrong reason. People posted photos and videos of taxies and private vehicles parked on cycling lanes, and they criticized motorists as well as authorities for failing to ensure the cyclists’ exclusive access of the lane.

For Samir Shrestha, a social activist who uses his bicycle as the main mode of transport in the city, the cycle lanes are a great initiative but as things are, also impractical. “I have already complained to traffic police multiple times. There’s always some vehicle parked in the lane, or I see someone overtaking from there,” he says.

Shrestha, who rides from Kumaripati to Kupondole and back six days a week, feels the traffic police should be more involved in maintaining lane discipline and ensuring safety for riders in bicycle lanes. Also, he adds, the municipal police personnel who have recently been patrolling on bicycles could do more to maintain lane discipline.

Shrestha emphasizes the need to educated people on road etiquette. “We need traffic rules for cyclists as well, and every cyclist riding on the street needs to have undergone some kind of training. Plus, safety measures like helmets, reflectors and lights should be mandatory,” Shrestha says. “I hear some organizations are working with the government on this. Hope relevant laws come soon.”

Good start

Singer and mediaperson Samriddhi Rai, who is also a Lalitpurian, is more sanguine. As a cyclist, Rai feels safer on freshly painted cycling lanes even though motorists largely ignore them. “I am proud to be riding atop our green-painted bicycle lane and always try to stick to it,” she says. Rai, however, mostly cycles in early mornings when there’s less traffic so her experience perhaps cannot be generalized.

Shail Shrestha, co-founder and former president of Cycle City Network Nepal, says the new demarcations are just experimental. They are shared cycle lanes and not dedicated ones, a big difference. In shared cycle lanes, it is only natural for other motorists to drive over them—and stop momentarily—if they do not see cyclists nearby.

Also the program director of Digo Bikash Institute, a research and advocacy organization promoting ecological sustainability and social equity, Shrestha says the new cycle lanes help mitigate conflict between cyclists, pedestrians, and motorists. “They are not as safe as dedicated cycling lanes would be, but they do give a sense of law and order to the chaotic traffic situation and makes people more aware,” Shrestha says.

According to him, the Lalitpur metropolitan did try to have dedicated cycle lanes but the department of road would not allow that citing congestion on the roads that were built for motorists. Having ridden around Lalitpur area extensively, Shrestha says he has had a better experience, adding that demarcations have given lanes more visibility and he hopes the behavior of traffic will also change in due course.

Closely working with the Lalitpur metropolitan city is the Nepal Cycle Society, which is also providing technical support in demarcating cycle lanes. The metropolitan has in fact signed an agreement with the society to make the city bicycle-friendly, informs the society’s vice president, Som Raj Rana.

An architect and urban designer, Rana leads the technical team behind the cycle lanes in Lalitpur. In the proposed 65-km cycle lane in Lalitpur, the five-km Jawlakhel-Kupondole stretch is only a pilot project, Rana informs. He says the next phase will cover 22 km of inner city roads.

Attracting new riders

Rana says the effect of the cycle lanes on public is still under study but the overall response is already positive. “We have data that show around 10-20 percent annual increase in the number of cyclists on the Kupondole-Jawlakhel road. With cycle lanes, the numbers are sure to further increase,” Rana says. Lane designs have been scientifically drawn. The goal is to ensure cyclists enjoy the same rights as others in traffic and to make cycle lanes attractive for users.

“Just having cycling lanes will not turn us into Copenhagen or Amsterdam overnight,” Rana says. “Our vision of a cycle city will not be met unless common folks don’t ditch their motor-addition and instead use bicycles to commute.” The roads built in Nepal’s major cities so far have only focused on creating spaces for motored vehicles. The new cycle lanes are only the beginning and until many more people start using them on a regular basis, further infrastructure development could be difficult.

But will there be cycle lanes in the stretch of ring road within Lalitpur? Rana informs it is out of the jurisdiction of Lalitpur metropolitan and rather falls under the road department. The initial design of the expanded ring road from Kalanki to Koteshwor did have bicycle lanes, but by the time construction was completed, there was no sign of them. Rana believes that it is still possible for the NCS to build dedicated cycle lanes on the ring road, the department of road permitting.

While Lalitpur has already started developing cycle lanes, the Kathmandu metropolitan has refused to join the network intended to connect all three cities in the valley. “Despite the many possibilities in Kathmandu, which already has roads big enough for dedicated lanes, the local authorities there have not responded to us positively,” Rana says. “Even in Lalitpur, it wouldn’t have been possible without extensive support of mayor Chiri Babu Maharjan.”

Sometimes, the best things in life come free. And if you’ve ever scrounged through the endless content available on YouTube to find a good movie through all those clickbaits and misleading titles, you’ll surely agree. The same thing happened to me this week. A recommendation led me to the somewhat obscure “404: Error Not Found” movie on YouTube—and I was surprised I had missed this Hindi-language psychological thriller in the first place.

Released in 2011, the independent movie apparently did not shake the box office much. But it did surely gain critical acclaim from audiences and critics alike. Even now, the film is contextual and not outdated, unlike most movies made almost a decade ago.

404, which in the first quarter presents itself as a supernatural/paranormal movie, is actually a peek into human psychology. It also attempts to raise the issue of ragging in Indian colleges and its severe repercussions on students at the receiving end of verbal and physical abuses by the seniors.

Abhimanyu (Rajvvir Aroraa) is a fresher at a medical school who gets into trouble with his bullying seniors, led by Chris (Imaad Shah), right from the start of the session. Harassed by seniors who also vandalize his room, Abhimanyu decides to shift to the infamous room no. 404. The room has been locked for three years, after its previous occupant Gaurav (Ruchir Raj) died by suicide and rumors began spreading around the college that the room is haunted. Neglecting the advice of the college management and his friends, Abhimanyu decides to stay in the same room.

Troubles start for Abhimanyu when he starts seeing the deceased Gaurav in the room. Abhimanyu seeks help from Professor Anirudh (Nishikant Kamath), who believes in nothing but science and dismisses all explanations of paranormal activities. Abhimanyu, however, is sure that Gaurav’s ghost inhabits the room and is deeply disturbed by the fact. Now whether Gaurav is a ghost or is Abhimanyu only hallucinating due to some psychological problem is what the film is all about—albeit, with a twisted ending.

With only a handful of recognizable faces and the rest of the cast newcomers and debutants, the filmmakers had to capitalize on their skills and ingenuity to make it an above-par movie. And they do. Prawaal Raman, the writer/director, and also an activist against suicide, puts in a lot into the film. Unfortunately for him, without big names and recognized faces, 404 did not get the attention it deserved.

And despite the creativity flowing through 404’s 2hrs 1mins, the length itself is somewhat of a problem. For 404’s story and the cast it features, the length of two hours feels stretched, along with the climax, and that somehow takes away from the impact the film’s shocking ending could otherwise have had. There are times when the audience will probably have to use the skip button on YouTube to make the film progress faster.

But in all fairness to filmmakers, the low-budget movie has more pluses than minuses and that wins audience affection. The cinematography is excellent and makes use of CCTV camera footages and other tricks to give a haunted feel on screen. Also the cast, though inexperienced, manage to pull off what is required in most scenes. One can think of 404 as one of those DIY movie projects that made it to the theaters.

Who should watch it?

It’s for free! So anyone can watch it. But if you think it’s an out-an-out horror movie or if you like fast-paced mainstream thrillers, you might want to leave it alone. Otherwise, 404 is definitely an enjoyable watch.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Thriller

Cast: Rajvvir Aroraa, Ruchir Raj, Imaad Shah

Director: Prawaal Raman

Run time: 2hrs 1 min

Although released in 2018, Jason Statham starrer “The Meg” only recently popped up on Netflix’s notification, as one of the top 10 movies to watch—in Nepal. Couldn’t be more thankful to Netflix for the recommendation when finding a movie worth watching was getting difficult, especially with the influx of boring Halloween-targeted horror/thrillers.

The Meg—loosely based on the 1997 book “Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror” by Steve Alten—features a gigantic megalodon, the largest shark ever discovered and thought to be extinct for two million years. Like most action, sci-fi, adventure movies that deal with gigantic creatures, the plot is simple and predictable. But there are definitely twists that demand the audience’s uninterrupted attention—the giant creature can be suddenly on-screen to scare you out of your wits.  

Retired after a botched rescue attempt that caused the death of his colleagues, rescue diver Jonas Taylor (Jason Statham) is called back for another mission by an underwater research facility called Mana One. Reluctant to take up the mission at first, Taylor finds more than one reason to agree to the deep-sea rescue, below the Marian Trench. First, his ex-wife Lori (Jessica McNamee) is among the stranded crew. Second, the creature that attacked his vessel in the first mission seems to be back.

So our hero undertakes the rescue mission and successfully brings back the crew. The story doesn’t end there though. This is not a one-time rescue flick. Later, Taylor and the crew of Mana One find themselves engulfed literally between the devil and the deep blue sea and getting out alive becomes their biggest obstacle.

Directed by Jon Turteltaub, The Meg was a box office success following its theatrical release in RealD 3D. Even without the 3D on our computer screens, we can only imagine how terrifying the 75-feet-long megalodon would have looked on the big screen. The film’s special effects and CGI are top-notch, and go well with an evenly paced script and disciplined direction.

But as enjoyable as it is, this movie is not to be confused with the sci-fi masterpieces that created benchmarks in global cinema. The Meg is more like a cross between “Jaws” and “10,000 Leagues Under the Sea”, with improved cinematic technology. The acting is basic, the dialogues simple, and subtitle eye-friendly, and the plot is mostly one-way with no backstories or sub-plots to alleviate the monotony.

But again, The Meg makes up for all its simplicity with great visual effects and straightforward screenplay. Unlike most sci-fi films that fail miserably because of way too much melodrama and human interest stories, The Meg refrains from overdoing this bit. In any case, it doesn’t give the audience much time to think about what’s wrong with the movie through most of its 1hr 5 mins runtime.

Who should watch it?

The Meg is a movie made for a wider, global audience. It may have taken many liberties in explaining the science behind its story. Still, it is definitely entertaining for most of the audience and although it may not have as big an impact as the groundbreaking “Jurassic Park” series, its sequel titled “Meg 2: The Trench” is already in development.

Rating: 3 stars

Genre: Action, sci-fi

Director: Jon Turteltaub

Cast: Jason Statham, Li Bingbing, Jessica McNamee

Run time: 1hr 53mins

No we’re not going to tell you how popular smart bands have become for the health conscious (as well as those not so bothered about their health). What we want to say is, spend your money on the most bankable smart band available in the Nepali market and, at this moment, that can only be the Mi Smart Band 5. 

Recently launched worldwide by the Chinese electronics giant Xiaomi, the Mi Smart Band 5 has everything that can possibly feature in a gadget costing under Rs 5,000. For anything beyond what Mi Smart Band 5 offers, you’ll probably have to opt for a smartwatch worth over Rs 15,000. 

Already a popular product in the wearables category, the Mi Band 5 improves on the quality and dependability of in its predecessors. While the physical look remains similar to the fitness tracker—polycarbonate case with a TPU strap—the display area is BIG on this edition, 20 percent larger than Band 4’s display area, with 1.1-inch AMOLED display. The increase might not sound big on paper, but the change is significant, as the folks with specs will note.

But does the increase in size mean the band’s got heavy? No. The unit’s weight is around 11.9 g and it goes unnoticed once you get used to wearing it. Personally, a switch from Band 3 to Band 5 did not make the slightest difference in weight, but the user experience has improved many times. 

The black and white OLED of the Mi Band 3 now feels primitive compared to the Mi Band 5 and furthermore, the option of changing watch faces, with many options to choose from, just gives you a feeling of novelty all along. The Mi Band 5 also has a magnetic charger, which means you don’t have to remove the strap to charge it every time, again unlike its predecessors.

Tracking calories is also a lot easier in Mi Band 5 as you get 11 sports modes to help you keep count what you’re burning. The Band 5 adds jump rope, elliptical, rowing, and yoga to an old menu that included treadmill, outdoor walking, running, outdoor cycling, and other essentials. Also, sleep monitoring is updated to track REM sleep stages to help you learn of the quality of your rest.

Xiaomi also claims that the accuracy of the heartrate monitoring has been improved by up to 50 percent. Other additions to this latest smart band from Xiaomi include guided breathing exercises, menstrual cycle tracking, music control, and camera button.

The feature-packed Mi Band 5 comes with quality assurance of Xiaomi, which sets it apart from most generic smart bands in the Nepali market in the same price range. The product and its packaging feel sturdy, rather than cheap and plasticky. Mi Band 5 will stick with you through all weathers, tracking the calories you’ve burned, monitoring your heart rate and sleep, and if you want, constantly reminding you not to sit idle for long.

Satnam ‘Sunny’ Sethi (Vikrant Massey) is an aspiring chef and restaurateur who is desperate to get married in order to meet his father Pappi Sethi’s (Rajiv Gupta) condition. The condition is that Sunny will get to open his own restaurant only after he gets married. Unfortunately, finding a bride is difficult for Sunny as he keeps getting rejected by prospective matches, for no apparent reason.

On the other hand, there is Simran ‘Ginny’ Juneja (Yami Gautam), who is also being pressured into getting married by her single mother Shobha Juneja (Ayesha Raza). But Ginny is still in a complicated relationship with her ex-boyfriend Nishant (Suhail Nayyar) who is now her best friend, and she will settle for no less than love marriage.

By chance, Ginny’s mother is also a wedding matchmaker and when Sunny’s father approaches her to find Sunny’s match, she thinks it is a good idea to get Sunny and Ginny hooked. So Sunny, with help from Ginny’s mother, plans to woo Ginny. The story then continues to create confusion and collisions in the lives of everyone involved, with humor, sarcasm and satire thrown into the mix.

The story of Ginny Weds Sunny is as predictable as a Bollywood romantic comedy can be. In fact, most dialogues and plot changes are also predictable. But the slight difference in this one is the execution. With a talented cast of actors and without superfluous larger-than-life sequences, the film directed by Puneet Khanna is a light-hearted rom-com you can watch while you wait for Season 2 of “Mirzapur.” (No, I don’t get paid to do this. Promoting anything with Pankaj Mishra in it is my self-appointed duty.)

Originally intended for theatrical release but postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the film tries to emulate the success of a string of low-budget family movies that have recently done well in the box-office, the likes of “Subh Mangal Saavdhan” and “Bareilly Ki Burfi”. But the key advantage of originality is missing in this one and hence, Ginny Weds Sunny might not create a benchmark for upcoming films with its clichéd screenplay. Still, it does a better job of entertaining folks compared to many big-banner Bollywood releases that are unbearable to watch.

The cast in Ginny Weds Sunny is natural and instantly relatable. The characters are mostly from Punjabi families that speak in a mixed Punjabi-Hindi dialect without going overboard with stereotyping. Despite an unoriginal script, the entire cast performs its roles with earnestness, making the audience believe what they’re watching is something completely new. This is one of those movies where the whole cast executes a well-coordinated performance instead of banking on the main characters.

And when a movie has Punjabi wedding themes to it, there is bound to be some upbeat bhangra music. In this, the film is below average, with none of its soundtracks leaving a mark. The film does feature a rendition of the classic Punjabi song “Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag” written and composed by Mika Singh, which is still not one of the best remixes.

Who should watch it?

So the low-budget Ginny Weds Sunny fails you in some parts and wins you over in others. If you’re looking for some light entertainment without many expectations, this one is for you.

Rating: 2.5 stars

Genre: Romantic comedy

Director: Puneet Khanna

Cast: Yami Gautam, Vikrant Massey

Run time: 2hrs 5mins

As the global Covid-19 pandemic closes in on its anniversary, with over 38 million already infected and a million dead, directly or indirectly, no one has been untouched by the scourge. But some communities are more vulnerable to its effects, like those suffering from drug addiction and those on the path of recovery from it.

Global news agencies report that the pandemic has hit the people struggling with substance abuse hard, as interventions get more difficult and the general sense of despair prevails. BBC had reported under the headline “Coronavirus: Lockdown leaves addicts ‘close to relapse’” in May this year, citing problems like social-distancing restrictions that have made it difficult for many counseling services to operate.

With infections continuing to rise and social distancing measures still in place in most countries, the worst fears are coming true. Data from the Washington, D.C. based Overdose Detection Mapping Application Program (ODMAP) shows a significant spike in the number of fatal overdoses during the pandemic. According to its data, drug overdoses are rising by roughly 18 percent year-on-year in the US alone. The report also states that over 60 percent counties participating in the information-gathering project reported increases in drug overdoses.

Globally, dependency on drugs and even alcohol is also increasing as per various media reports, even though there are no concrete research data. According to the American Medical Association, over 40 states in the US have reported increases in opioid-related deaths during the pandemic, even as the US experienced a record 71,000 such deaths in 2019.

Another research report titled “Covid-19 and addiction” published in the science and health resource Elsevier by Indian medical researchers concludes that, “Covid-19 and addiction are the two pandemics which are on the verge of collision causing major public health threat… the resumption of de-addiction services and easier accessibility of prescription drugs are needs of the hour.”

In Nepal, good data on those with Substance Abuse Disorders (SUDs) and recovering addicts is hard to come by as well. But most of APEX’s contacts working in drug rehabilitation say relapse cases have been increasing during the pandemic. It does not help that Dashain, traditionally the time of the year that sees biggest growth in drug use and relapse, is at hand.

“We generally identify three conditions a recovering drug user might relapse,” explains Basanta Kunwar, former Senior Superintendent of Police and currently the director of Narconon Nepal Rehab Facility. According to Kunwar, relapses are usually caused by chemical craving (craving for addictive substances), environmental craving (craving to recreate the environment drugs are taken), and absence of life objectives. One or more of these problems make a recovering addict go back into drug-abuse.

“The Covid-19 pandemic is singularly unsuited for recovering drug users,” Kunwar says. “We have been unable to host live counseling sessions. Nor do those recovering from abuse have much to keep themselves busy with. There is fear and frustration everywhere.”

Drug rehabilitation is a lengthy process. But rehabilitation approaches comprise of carefully sequenced plans. The pandemic makes it tough to follow this sequence. The crucial social support programs and therapy treatments are on hold because of physical distancing norms. Also, families of recovering addicts are struggling to maintain a structured environment needed for them to remain sober.

“Only 15 percent of those undergoing Narconon’s rigorous programs relapse,” Kunwar says. “But we expect the percentage to increase this year.”

Bishal Tamrakar, 27, who first successfully undertook a drug recovery program when he was 17, accepts that the present time is dangerous for recovering addicts. “I just came to know that two of my friends have already relapsed during the pandemic,” says Tamrakar who has been clean for four years since his last seven-month intervention program at a local rehabilitation center.

“In these depressing and boring times, recovering drug users might easily resort to smoking marijuana or drinking alcohol,” Tamrakar says. “What you must keep in mind is that they usually consume these substances in huge amounts, and when they stop working, they resort to stronger drugs.” Tamrakar says the festive season has always been risky for recovering addicts as they start using ‘light substances’ for merriment without realizing that they could relapse into addiction.

Riddhi Rana, director of Maya Nepal drug/alcohol treatment and rehabilitation center, also anticipates “an explosion” in relapses during the pandemic-time festivities.

Suyash Rajbhandari, director of the narcotics anonymous (NA) based The Recovering Group, worried too. “We call this the high season for drug users and this year, the number of relapses are sure to go up,” says Rajbhandari. “There’s been 60 percent relapse rate among those associated with us.”

The proverb—an idle mind is the devil's workshop—is especially true in the case of drug users, Rajbhandari says. “For us, loneliness is bad company and the current situation has left most of us utterly alone,” he adds.

Most modules in the 12-step intervention program used by The Recovering Group are not being executed. The group requires recovering addicts to do regular follow-ups and attend NA meetings even after they leave the center. It also used to run a day-care center where recovering addicts could keep themselves occupied during the intervention.

The meetings have shifted online due to social distancing protocols and lockdowns, and many program participants fail to attend the virtual meets. Most recovering drug users were unable to rejoin regular meeting and counseling sessions even after the end of the lockdowns; they are not allowed to use motorbikes for up to a year after they leave the center, and public transport stresses them out.

The pandemic has rendered many recovering addicts and their families helpless. The environment now has more triggers and stressors that push them towards drugs. Loneliness, unemployment, uncertainty, too much time to dwell on the past—they really are up against it.

“It is not their fault,” Rajbhandari says. “The recovering drug users are susceptible to even small triggers or stressors while they are on the long and difficult road to recovery. Right now, there are just too many triggers around. At this time, we need to be even more understanding and accommodating of those struggling to put their addiction behind.”

Any Indian cinema connoisseur will tell you that when Sudhir Mishra directs a film, it’s more than entertainment. It is a political statement laden with jest, jive and satire on contemporary Indian society, which in turn more or less represents the multi-cultural peoples of the Indian subcontinent. The director, who has previously made socially compelling movies like “Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi,” “Dharavi,” and “Chameli,” continues his storytelling of the real people in his latest release “Serious Men.”

Serious Men—based on Indian journalist Manu Joseph’s book by the same name—is a Hindi-language comedy-drama that skillfully touches issues of caste divide, economic disparity, proselytism, political interferences in the common man’s life, and the burden of education placed on today’s children—all centered on the family of Ayyan Mani (Nawazuddin Siddiqui).

Ayyan is middle-aged Tamil who lives in Mumbai with his wife Oja Mani (Indira Tiwari) and son Adi Mani (Aakshath Das). Coming from an underprivileged shudra caste, Ayyan has been facing hardships and discriminations all his life owing to his caste and financial status. But despite his more than humble beginnings, Ayyan has managed to educate himself and get a ‘respectable job’.

So while he works as an assistant to astronomer Dr. Arvind Acharya (Nassar) at the National Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, Ayyan dreams his son will elevate their status by getting higher education and becoming a famous scholar. Having been called “moron,” “imbecile,” and “knob-head” all the time by ‘serious men’ at work, Ayyan wants his son to be one of them—educated, rich, and powerful.

Ayyan’s son Adi does turn out to be a child genius of sorts. The 10-year-old with a slight hearing impairment can solve the most difficult scientific problems and calculate fast as a machine. Adi’s abilities catch the attention of the media as well as the local politicians who want to use him to promote their upcoming election campaign. Ayyan and Adi seemingly enjoy the attention they have been getting and make public appearances at various programs, to show off Adi’s skills. But what unfolds next changes the whole film narrative. It turns out that the father-son duo has a big secret, the leakage of which could alter their lives forever.

The story of Serious Men revolves around different aspects of discrimination that a poor, socially underprivileged family has to face, and their extra struggle to break their centuries-old shackles. Ayyan’s battle with casteism and poverty has made him callous to the feelings of his own wife and child. The burden of being poor and underprivileged he has carried all his life makes him take drastic steps to change the situation.

Even with so many underlying themes that affect Ayyan and his family’s life, the storytelling in Serious Men is coherent and enjoyable throughout its 1hrs 54mins length. Mishra’s tight script is adequately supported by the acting of Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Aakshath Das. Both—the former a seasoned star and the latter just a newcomer—get into their respective characters and justify their casting with ease. Getting most screen time in the movie, Siddiqui and Das add strength to the already strong screenplay and help Mishra create another set of memorable characters.

Who should watch it?

Serious Men is a movie for all those looking for more than just entertainment in cinema. It is a movie people will relate to in one way or other, and readily identify the characters as people they know.

Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Comedy/Drama

Run time: 1hr 54mins

Actors: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Aakshath Das

Director: Sudhir Mishra

When making chai, at first, you have your ingredients sorted out. To make a strong cuppa we drink in this part of the world, you have your leaves, water, milk, sugar, and maybe some masala to add to the flavor. Anything beyond that will most likely spoil your chai, instead of enhancing its taste.

This is exactly what happens to “Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare” being streamed on Netflix from September 18 this year. It has enough ingredients to make it a fine cup of chai, but the filmmakers keep adding to the concoction, somewhat spoiling the taste.

Written and directed by Alankrita Shrivastava and produced under the banner of Indian visual-media mogul Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji Telefilms, Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare circles around the lives of Radha "Dolly" Yadav (Konkona Sen Sharma) and Kajal “Kitty” Yadav (Bhumi Pednekar). With these two women as main characters, the film narrates the struggles of women for independence, the sexism they have to face in both their personal and professional lives, the harassment they are subjected to, the restrictions put on them by the society, and with the help of a child Pappu (Kalp Shah) also shows the struggle of a non-binary person to be accepted in their middle-class South Asian family.

As already mentioned, the film has many subplots but at the same time it is not unimaginably chaotic. Alankrita Shrivastava, who also penned and directed the Filmfare-nominated “Lipstick Under My Burkha” (2017) among other socially compelling films, misses the cinematic benchmark it created by only a few points in this 2hrs 6mins long drama. Meaning, the film is an entertaining package despite its overcompensating subplots.

Dolly (Sharma) lives in Noida with her husband Amit (Aamir Bashir) and two sons Bharat (Hearty Singh) and Pappu (Shah). The middle-class family is desperately saving up to upgrade to a luxury apartment, with Dolly even stealing from her employers and selling her jewelries to pay for installments, unbeknownst to her husband. Kitty (Pednekar)—Dolly’s cousin from rural Bihar—has come to live with the family temporarily while she tries to be financially independent so that her family doesn’t force her to get married.

The film starts with Kitty complaining to her elder sister Dolly about her husband Amit making unwanted sexual advances towards her. Shaken, but still adamant about her ‘perfect life’, Dolly at first writes it off as a misunderstanding and then lightly accuses Kitty of wanting to sleep with Amit because of her infatuation. Uncomfortable, Kitty seeks urgently to find a decent job and move out of the house.

Thus begins a flurry of conflicts for the two women as Dolly confronts the reality of her loveless, passionless marriage, and the seemingly naïve Kitty gets to see the world for what it is. The two women battle harassment, sexism, patriarchy, and their own conflicted selves in this coming-of-age film where a number of other characters come into their lives to make them question their identities and help them reveal the reality.

But despite many supporting characters and subplots, it is up to Konkona Sen Sharma and Bhumi Pednekar to carry the film on their shoulders, which they do with great conviction. Both the actors, criminally underrated in the industry, deliver a realistic performance which the audience can relate to.

Who should watch it?

A 700-word review is not enough to explain the various emotions that “Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare” evokes. Despite feeling overwhelmed at times with so many inputs, the movie definitely hooks the audience throughout and the messaging is clear and concise. Almost near the end, Dolly makes the perfect cup of chai for herself and relishes it. We are sure most of our audience will relish the movie the same way.

Rating: 3.5 stars

Genre: Drama

Actors: Konkona Sen Sharma, Bhumi Pednekar

Director: Alankrita Shrivastava

Runtime: 2hrs 6 mins