Bollywood actress Vidya Balan’s Sherni’s streaming rights are bags by noted OTT platform Amazon Prime Video. Directed by Amit Masurkar, the film is out on the digital platform today. Let’s check how it is.
Story: Vidya Vincent ( Vidya Balan) will be posted as a DFO at a tribal region in Madhya Pradesh. Soon after taking charge, she faces a challenge to track a tigress, T12 which is creating hurdles to the villagers. Will Vidya able to trace T12? What kind of obstacles will she face in her journey as a lady officer? Forms the crux of the story.
Performances: Vidya Balan delivers a solid performance as Vidya Vincent. Her settled acting and impressive screen presence are a treat to watch. Compared to her previous films, Vidya Balan has tried to showcase herself differently, which is one of the plus points for the film.
The beauty of Sherni is that even the supporting actors create an impact with their acting which indeed enhances the film.
Vijay Raaz is fine as Vidya’s close aide and zoology professor. The same is the case with Brijendra Kala who did a key role as the cartoonish. Other actors like Neeraj Kabi, Gopal Dutt and Sharat Saxena excel in their given roles and bring a new flavour to the narration.
Technicalities: Benedict Taylor and Naren Chandavarkar’s background score is engaging and creates a positive impact on the film. Sound design work by Anish John is done in a captivating manner.
Cinematography by Rakesh Haridas is outstanding as his work is clearly visible throughout the film. Especially, the night mood shots and the forest atmosphere have been captured neatly.
Dipika Kalra’s editing work is skilful as the runtime is kept within the limits. Dialogues written by Amit Masurkar’s team are decent.
Analysis: Amit Masurkar and writer Aastha Tiku come up with a script with multiple sub-plots in it. The drama between Vidya Vincent and her family has been presented without any over-drama when she reveals her posting as a District Forest Officer.
On the other hand, the kind of challenges Vidya faces from politicians and local hunters during the rescue operation of the tigress and her cubs are also executed decently by incorporating the women empowerment topic at a slice. The entire forest sequence between the lady officer and male ego dominated society are showcased neatly with an authentic presentation.
But adding to the above advantages, the film suffers from a slow-paced narration at regular intervals. The majority of the scenes in the movie runs on a slow note which may not go well with all sections of the audience.
To summarise, Sherni is a social drama interlinked with realistic incidents and has some terrific performance from the lead characters. But the tardy presentation stands as a minus.
Verdict: Slow-paced social drama
Rating: 2.5/5
