Death in our part of the world is followed by a period of penance-like mourning for the rest of the family. In a typical Hindu family, the mourning starts from the day of cremation and lasts for 13 consecutive days whereby the bereaved family has to follow strict restrictions. This extended period of mourning, compared to other religions, makes funerals more somber for the Hindus.
Now imagine someone making a film on this. One would expect melancholy to reign. But the freshly released “Pagglait” on Netflix turns a gloomy affair into dark comedy, sometimes so hilarious that laughter is inevitable. No wonder the Hindi-language comedy-drama, written and directed by Umesh Bist, is being talked about so much on social media.
Sandhya Giri (Sanya Malhotra) is a young widow who is yet to come to terms with the death of her husband Astik. As the rest of the family is crying their hearts out on the day of his funeral, Sandhya can’t find herself shedding a tear. In the days to follow, while still within the 13-day mourning period, Sandhya is aloof about the proceedings around her. She is instead craving for potato chips, Pepsi and gol gappas, all off limits.
While her parents, in-laws and the rest of the family members are shocked at Sandhya’s indifference at her husband’s death, Sandhya also gets into a mental conflict when she finds a girl’s photograph in Astik’s cupboard. She gets obsessed about finding the truth behind what she thinks is an affair between the girl Aakanksha (Sayani Gupta) and Astik. Her conflict is further aggravated and involves the whole family when they discover that Astik has taken out a huge life insurance package with Sandhya as its only nominee.
The story of “Pagglait” is as colorful as its ensemble cast comprising of some of the most talented actors in Indian cinema. Ashutosh Rana as Astik’s father Shivendra Giri, Sheeba Chaddha as his mother Usha, Raghubir Yadav as his uncle Roshan Sethi, and Meghna Malik as auntie Tulika, are just some of the recognizable names in the long list of lively characters the film features. Just as its complete story cannot be narrated in the review, nor can all its impactful characters be named for the sake of brevity, which is a shame. An unending series of conflicts, large and small, as well as the impact each character has on screen makes Pagglait a thoroughly enjoyable movie.
But Pagglait also portrays a bitter truth about patriarchal societies. It questions the legitimacy of arranged marriages where strangers marry strangers, because their families think it’s right. Probably one reason why Sandhya doesn’t feel much pain at her husband’s loss. Pagglait also refuses to make its central character Sandhya a typical Indian woman burdened with expectations from her family. Instead, Sandhya is free-spirited and unorthodox, hence people calling her ‘pagglait’ (mad/crazy).
There are a number of issues that the filmmakers want to tackle with Pagglait. But in the 1h 54mins movie, sometimes we wish the makers had stuck to the core theme instead. Some conflicts seem to be taking the light away from the central idea. Had the entire cast not been at their best elements, the screenplay would have ruined the film’s entertainment quotient, and we are thankful that never happens. Also, the music by singer Arijit Singh in his debut as a musician is a bummer save for a few melodious moments.
Who should watch it?
Right from its opening shot, we know Pagglait is going to be an offbeat mainstream movie. In that belief, we are not disappointed. Yes, the movie has its shortcomings but nothing big enough to dampen its watchability. Pagglait is a breath of fresh air for everyone who enjoys good cinema. Specially recommended to people with a sense of humor.
Rating: 3.5 stars
Genre: Drama, comedy
Director: Umesh Bist
Actors: Sanya Malhotra, Ashutosh Rana, Raghubir Yadav
Run time: 1hr 54mins
