PLOT
The movie is set in a semi-rural area and is told as a tale within a story. Sonu is followed throughout the movie as he goes about his daily routine of going to school, playing with friends, and then going home. However, the child’s curious intellect is alert to and absorbs everything happening around him.
REVIEW
Sonu, a 7-year-old boy, is the main character of Natkhat. The story centers on kidnapping his female classmate at school and “teaching the girl a lesson,” which he casually brags about to his father and grandfather when he returns home. The likelihood that Sonu will pass on fixed male prejudiced tendencies to her son worries Sonu’s mother. Using the age-old tradition of bedtime stories, she takes matters into her own hands by educating Sonu about equality.
Boys will be boys, and boys don’t cry are two ideas so deeply ingrained in our sociocultural fabric that young minds frequently unconsciously absorb them. While serving as the film’s director for the first time, Shaan Vyas skillfully illustrates the same in this social drama. An excellent example of the relevance of the male-female power dynamics is the dinner table scene, in which all men in the house eat and receive chapatis from women.
Annukampa Harsh and Shaan Vyas wrote the screenplay with great care. The story and music used in the backdrop are skillfully mixed to explain the similarities and differences between women and birds, kings, and young brats. The story first takes a while to establish Sonu’s personality qualities, particularly the bad influences in his life. However, the characters are complex and add the necessary emphasis to their actions.
Vidya Balan portrays the homemaker and devoted mother with conviction while wearing plain sarees. Her character makes a strong point about toxic masculinity, and she is at ease collaborating on-screen with Sanika Patel, a young artist making her debut. In numerous scenes, you’ll be moved to tears by the mother-son relationship, which will warm your heart.
Rating – Three out of five stars
“Natkhat” effectively combats patriarchal culture. Sonu’s mother never commands him to stop approaching girls. She tells him a tale that comes close to expressing this thought. Along with the story she is telling him, the growing soundtrack also underscores the lesson she has woven into it. Watching this is certainly recommended.
India’s official submission for the Best Short Film category at the Oscars in 2021 was Natkhat. Shaan Vyas is in charge of directing it. Ronnie Screwvala and Vidya Balan are their producers. Vidya Balan, Sanika Patel, and Raj Arjun play the leading roles. As part of the first-ever and largest direct-to-OTT Film Festival, the short movie is currently streaming on Voot Select.
