Sonchiriya review: Sushant Singh Rajput – Bhumi Pednekar’s desi western movie is a must-watch for cinema-lovers

Abhishek Chaubey’s Sonchiriya takes you into the dusty ravines (beehad) of the Chambal and into the tormented world of the baaghis (rebels) – officially labelled the daakus (dacoits). Set in the backdrop of the emergency declared during 1975, the director takes his masterfully-crafted delicious moments and drops them along like breadcrumbs for the audience to follow. The lure of these brilliant cinematic nuggets edges you along the journey of the film in search of the elusive Sonchiriya. The story and its twists compel you to join the characters as each of them finally come to realise what their Sonchiriya is. The Sonchiriya here is a metaphor, which is till the end left open for your own interpretation, as an audience.

What Sonchiriya is all about? The film is about a band of dacoits in the ravines of Chambal who seem to be surviving the hardships, rather than thriving, under the leadership of Man Singh (Manoj Bajpayee). Lakhna (Sushant Singh Rajput) and Vakil Singh (Ranvir Shorey) are part of this loyal band. They call themselves baaghi, as they consider themselves to be rebels against the system, but their means to the end earns them the title of dacoits. And while these dacoits do not follow the laws of the government, they believe in the rules of the Chambal that are not meant to be broken – which include not killing women and children. The ground rules laid, we are shown right from the start that both Manoj and Sushant are haunted by the some ghost of their past killing and are somewhere in search of deliverance. Seeking redemption, both in their own way try to grapple with remorse and pain, with Sushant constantly questioning their purpose as baaghis. The band decides to loot a wedding venue, where they have an encounter with the STF led by Virender Singh Gujjar (Ashutosh Rana). Rana is relentless in his chase of the dacoits. Rana here is not only doing his duty as police, but is driven more by personal vengeance. Only a handful of the baaghis survive the encounter. As they make good their escape, they come across Indumati (Bhumi Pednekar) who alongwith a 12-year-old girl is trying to escape some attackers. The girl’s name is Sonchiriya and she has been raped. The girl needs to be taken to the hospital within 48 hours, lest she dies of her injuries. Sushant forms a beautiful bond with the girl and getting her to the hospital becomes his sole purpose. It is along this journey, the director slyly and under the garb of entertainment, explores several issues plaguing the interiors of rural India – right from caste politics to gender politics, the hypocrisy of the society seeped in customs, to the encounters between the cops and the dacoits, where you can’t decide whom to label good or bad.

Yay: The treatment of the story is action-packed and does not have a single dull moment. All actors deliver powerful performances and this one is Sushant’s best performance till date. Ashutosh and Manoj as always keep the bar high and interestingly Ranvir matches their tempo at every step. Bhumi shines as Indumati and the character overshadows the actor completely. Sudip Sharma’s dialogues hit home and pack a punch. We particularly liked the one that Phuliya (dacoit based on Phoolan Devi) tells Indumati – that all castes are meant to categorise the men. All women belong to the same caste and that caste is the lowest. The dialogue brings out and reflects the apathy of women in the Indian society. Another one that stood out was: ‘The government bullets can’t kill us, their promises do!’ Varun Grover’s lyrics in the songs have a haunting effect and the title track hits the right strings. The most outstanding part of this desi western is the action and it is one of the most impressive we have seen in years. The raw, rustic and arid environment have been beautifully captured so full marks to the cinematography department too. The costumes, to the dialect nothing has been compromised on. Abhishek Chaubey has come to be recognised with a certain brand of dark, broody and intense characters even in the liveliest of moments and vice-versa. Well, he doesn’t disappoint his fans here at all.

Nay: The film’s dialect proves to be a major hindrance and we struggled initially to get a hang of the language. While we appreciate the makers not wanting to compromise with the language and the flavour of the film, the efforts we had to make to keep up with the power-packed dialogues took a toll. The subtitles though helpful were a distraction, we wish we could have done without. The film slows down in parts and could’ve done with a tighter editing.

CineBlitz verdict: The filmmaker builds up the suspense and fast-paced action keeps you riveted. A mirror to the society, Sonchiriya is definitely worth a watch, but it’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. The film is hard-hitting, gritty and gripping and packs in some of the most powerful action sequences and performances. A desi western, it is totally a must-watch for cinema-lovers especially for fans of the genre, as well as of the director and its actors. The shouts of ‘Bairi beimaan, baaghi saavdhan!’ reverberate in your ears long after. We told you at the beginning how the filmmaker takes you into the beehad, well after the film you realise that a part of your soul is still left somewhere there.

Rating: 3.5 stars