Sukhee reminisces about her glorious past, carefree life in Delhi as a teenager when she was loved for who she was as a woman as opposed to being needed solely to serve others and fulfill her duties as a mother and wife. Finally, there’s a desi film on female friendship and desire that isn’t about sex. Director Sonal Joshi deserves applause just for this. Her story hits home as it mirrors the inner turmoil of almost every middle-class housewife, who marries early and forfeits her dreams for love. Years of putting everyone else’s needs before your own doesn’t earn you respect. You are required, yes, but are you valued? Traditionally, women are taught to be happy within this realm of self-sacrifice as that makes for an ideal bahu, bhabhi or beti. Sukhee makes you look inwards as she decides to break free from the shackles of her domestic life and revisit her past, much against the wishes of her daughter and husband, who are quick to label her as selfish. There’s a lot to like in this dramedy that observes a woman reclaiming her self-worth. Some moments are heart-warming, especially the ones between Sukhee and her bed-ridden father-in-law (also Sukhee), who urges her to ‘live her life’. Sukhee's aching regret about being left behind when compared to her working women besties who she considers to be achievers, is relatable. It stems from society's perception of housewives. Saara din ghar pay karti kya hai? Unaccounted work and wasted potential, the director touches upon these issues well. A slight resemblance to ‘English Vinglish’ is also evident. The school reunion scene is hilarious where the girl gang of class 97’ dolls up only to see their unattractive ageing classmates and ghazals being played for the party considering the target audience. Sukhee feels promising until things get slapstick and off track. Expect pointless toilet humour and jokes that lack punch. The narrative shifts gear and loses your attention once the action moves to Delhi. Scenes and dialogues run in circles, and everyone keeps repeating things they have already said. “Sukhee naam wale kabhi dukhi nahi hotay” sounds good when you hear it once. Overkill is tiring. The girl gang track would’ve worked if other characters weren’t just Sukhee cheerleaders but individuals in their own right. None of the other girls (Kusha Kapila, Dilnaz Irani, Pavleen Gujral) have much to do, though all have a decent screen presence. Despite roping in a good actor, Amit Sadh love track is the film’s weakest portion. It does not work at all and only drags the film endlessly. The film could’ve easily been 20 minutes shorter to work better. Shilpa Shetty Kundra is perfect for this part and reminds you why she deserved roles like Life in a Metro, Phir Milenge more. Despite her sultry screen avatar, she slips into the psyche of a middle-class housewife effortlessly. She even gets a Baazigar ‘bangs’ makeover to show her younger self. The 90’s outfits pay an ode to Govinda well but the de-ageing feels a bit excessive. Chaitannya Choudhry as the husband and Maahi Jain as the daughter are effective in portraying their flawed characters. Sukhee has a heartfelt premise but it lacks pace, struggles to be engaging and gets too preachy to be perfect towards the end.Read more

A woman gets married and in the process of creating a home, loses her sense of self. Her life becomes all about giving, sacrificing her own needs and wants and becoming a caretaker of sorts for her indifferent husband, bratty children and aging in-laws. This is a storyline that is done to death, jaded and lacks surprises. But one can’t ignore the fact that married women irrespective of whether they’re homemakers or working professionals continue to battle their need for identity to this date. The latest to join the bandwagon of slice-of-films about women empowerment and self-love is Sukhee. Yes, it’s old wine in a new bottle. Debutante director Sonal Joshi weaves a run-of-the-mill narrative and yet manages to move you and make you think and smile and occasionally shed a tear or two. Sukhee is a concoction of a little bit of most films belonging to this genre that we’ve seen before. The core plot may remind you of Bejoy Nambiar’s Tamil web series, Sweet Kaaram Coffee, that released a while back. It may also take you back to English Vinglish. But you won’t complain. Sonal, thankfully, believes in subtle messaging and reiterates without trying too hard to push out the narrative that the institution of marriage is primarily and unfortunately anti-women. Sukhee, as is evident from its title, circumnavigates around Sukhee or Sukhpreet Kalra, an Anandkot-based Punjabi homemaker in her thirties, whose life revolves around her family. She was a head girl in her school in Delhi, a competent debater and an able equestrian. While leaving school, she takes a vow along with her three best friends to never let their identities get trapped within the shackles of men, kachchas and bachchas, and to always live life ‘bedhadak, besharam, beparwah’. But life takes an 180 degree turn and most of her days now are all about cooking, pleasing her irritable husband, helping her daughter make science projects, attending local keertans and taking on the role of an aaya to her ill grandfather-in-law, who by the way is her only support system at home and keeps telling her that someone named Sukhee should never be dukhee. So, when Sukhee comes to know of a school reunion, she’s in two minds – should she let her hair down and meet her friends or will it be too selfish on her part to leave behind her family? She eventually leaves a note and sets out on a journey of self-discovery with her friends – Meher, Mansi and Tanvi. This is a story that will resonate with almost everyone. Sonal makes sure that she doesn’t cross that thin time and shove didactic lessons down our throat. She makes use of ample humour to convey most of the situations until things get real. Sukhee doesn’t promise a lofty life-altering experience. It’s its simplicity that tugs at your heartstrings and make the film a wholesome affair and leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling. Having said that, the narrative doesn’t steer clear from stereotypes and rides high on them. Here too, we see a chivalrous man helping Sukhee get a new perspective on life that will most definitely make you think about Laurent and Shashi from the memorable English Vinglish. But at 2 hours and 21 minutes, Sukhee seems too long. It takes its own sweet time to establish its protagonist’s bittersweet life as a wife and mother and it’s only towards the end of the first half that the makers finally dives into the primary story. The second half appears even more sluggish. For a film close to life where unpredictability isn’t key, a stretched out runtime almost badgers its beauty. But thankfully, there are some heart-warming moments that keep you engaged. Moments where Sukhee unravels the gift of a new lease of life after she returns to Delhi and reconciles with her father after years are truly touching. This perhaps stems from the fact that the film has been helmed by a team of women – Sonal and her team of writers Radhika Anand and Paulomi Dutta. At a time women empowerment has become synonymous with lopsided feminism, bashing up men and female sexual liberation, Sukhee feels like a subtle gush of pleasant breeze. Shilpa Shetty Kundra plays the titular part and she gives it her all. In fact, it’s sheer delight watching her revel in her glory on the big screen. We wish we could say that roles like these should be a wake-up call for filmmakers to not undermine her talent, but truth be told, she doesn’t become the part. In bits and parts, the glamorous, size-zero diva dominates the middle-class homemaker and pops up onscreen. But give credit where it’s due… she looks stunning in a red dress as she grooves to Nasha and brings a whole lot of grace and dignity to the writing.Chaitannya Choudhry who plays Sukhee’s bitter husband Guru delivers an impressive performance. His confrontation scenes with his wife are extremely believable. You might hate him every now and then but that only makes his character more human. His act definitely elevates the screenplay. Amit Sadh plays the charismatic Vikram and is fairly good. Kusha Kapila’s Meher appears like an extension of her real self and she brings a whole lot of vivaciousness and effervescence to the table, even though her constant mention of ‘Sukhee’ at the beginning and end of every line may irk you. She has an under-written but interesting storyline backing her character. Pavleen Gujral and Dilnaz Irani do a great job too. Sukhee might not be a ground-breaking and clutter-breaking story but it doesn’t attempt to be one either. Its beauty lies in its earnestness, minimalism and plausibility and if its treatment and approach has to be given a tangible form, it will probably resemble a canvas washed with the most beautiful shades of pastel hues. It’s heart-warming and breezy and remind you of your multi-tasking mothers who lived their bittersweet lives with a gentle smile on their faces. The biggest takeaway from the film is its ability to nudge you to call your mother and tell her how much you love and appreciate her efforts and give her the tightest hug.Read more