By Troy Ribeiro
Film: "Sui Dhaaga: Made In India"
Director: Sharat Katariya
Cast: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav and Namit Das
Rating: **1/2
All without doubt, "Sui Dhaaga" is a sweet, warm-hearted and inspirational film set in the world of working class India. It is a formulaic, feel-good film portraying the travails of a self-made entrepreneur.
Made with simplicity that would appeal to the downtrodden, the film seems pretty firmly aimed at this segment and below. It portrays the difficulties in the real world and sows the seeds of self-employment or entrepreneurship.
Starting on a low-key note in a small town in India, the film follows the life of Mauji (Varun Dhawan), a contented person working as an all-rounder, handyman in a shop selling sewing machines.
"Haanji, sab badhiya hai," is his mantra of coexistence. Till one fine day, his wife Mamta (Anushka Sharma) sees him clowning at a wedding reception on his boss' insistence.
Hurt, she instigates him to live a life of dignity. She tells him to do what he is good at. "So what if we earn a little less," she further coaxes him to take up stitching, after he successfully alters her blouse.
The following day, Mauji kicks his job, picks up his neighbour's sewing machine which is lying in his house and plonks himself on the streetside hoping to be self-employed. How he cuts the barriers to be an entrepreneur designing clothes with a "Made In India" label, forms the crux of the tale.
While the film tries to give you a realistic view of real life, the writing is what lets it down. The narrative is all glossed-up. It goes overboard with melodrama, the hero's struggle is formulaic and the silver lining predictable. The director has taken cinematic liberties to propel the narrative, making the film lose its sheen and emotional connect.
Varun Dhawan as Mauji and Anushka Sharma as Mamta look an odd couple from the very beginning and that's what makes them appealing. They are both sincere in their projection and you feel their pain and pangs during the course of time. How their relationship blossoms is what makes you want to watch them further.
The duo is aptly supported by a set of talented actors who live their roles to perfection. Each one of them have their moments of onscreen glory.
Coming from the stable of Yash Raj Films, the movie is astutely mounted with ace technical and production values. The music is seamlessly integrated into the narrative, but the background score at times is a bit jarring, with western instruments inconsistently blaring in a rural Indian tale.
Overall, albeit heart-warming, there are other inspirational stories that are boundlessly better.
