Khandaani Shafakhana Review: A rather flaccid experience

Gulf News

Full Article here:https://gn24.ae/86a87b6218fc000 Cinema Timings: https://gulfnews.com/cinema-listing#cinema/movie/HO00007148 See more at https://gulfnews.com/videos An intriguing premise fuels Sonakshi Sinha’s latest film ‘Khandaani Shafkhana’. But an interesting concept does not guarantee a happy viewing experience. #Bollywood #SonakshiSinha

Transcript

00:00Just because it's got a very intriguing subject behind it, it doesn't always make for riveting cinema.

00:11This is Manjusha Radhakrishnan from Gulf News Tabloid,

00:14and I've just been to watch Sonakshi Sinha's family entertainer called Khandani Shafakana.

00:20It's about a feisty Punjabi girl who inherits a sex clinic from her uncle,

00:26who's kind of a social pariah among his relatives.

00:29Naturally, the profession that he has chosen is frowned upon by his relatives,

00:34and Sonakshi Sinha, who plays the Punjabi girl, Baby Bedi,

00:38is not too happy about her inheritance.

00:40She's happy that she's going to run into some fun money,

00:43but she has to wait six months, and the clause in the uncle's will

00:47claims that she has to wait for six months, run the clinic,

00:50and then perhaps even sell it to the highest bidder.

00:54The premise is very interesting.

00:55In fact, this is one of the rare movies where it's spearheaded by a woman,

00:58it's directed by Shilpi Dasgupta, she's a first-time director,

01:02and Sonakshi Sinha does all the heavy lifting.

01:05It's one of those Bollywood films where you really want to like it,

01:08and you almost feel guilty for not appreciating it enough.

01:12But you cannot ignore the inherent flaws in this film.

01:16Firstly, it's very slow.

01:18In fact, you have to brace yourself for the language pace of this film.

01:23It takes around 60 minutes for the action, for the full story,

01:27to jump into high gear.

01:29And that's one of the biggest disappointments,

01:31because not everybody has 60 minutes at their disposal

01:34to actually wait for the plot to roll out.

01:37And that's a disappointment.

01:38But when it comes to acting, Sonakshi Sinha has done a decent job.

01:41She has enough charisma, and she has enough magnetic appeal

01:45to actually play the lead role and make us feel invested in Bedi's life

01:51and the kind of problems she faces.

01:53The episode where Sonakshi Sinha begins to run the clinic

01:56and her uncle's former patient comes to visit her

01:59feels very monotonous, and it feels very stretched.

02:02That's one of the downfalls of this movie,

02:04which had a very good concept to it.

02:06I mean, look at the premise.

02:07In many countries like India, such topics are rarely discussed

02:11and often frowned upon.

02:13So this movie kind of sheds light into

02:15why should there be so much stigma around the subject.

02:17It's very normal.

02:18It tries to normalise the topic of sex.

02:21I'm not very sure whether the court scenes

02:23and whether the episodes where they're trying to normalise sex

02:26is done in the most entertaining manner.

02:28There are several times when you're looking for the nearest exit

02:30and twitching around in your seats,

02:32and that's not a good sign while watching a film.

02:34But having said that, credit has to go to Sonakshi Sinha,

02:38Anu Kapoor, there is Varun Sharma.

02:41They've all done a good job to bring alive this story,

02:44which is never spoken about.

02:46It's an offbeat film and it should be looked at as an offbeat film.

02:49But the pace is very languid.

02:51Another thing that this film will remind you is of Vicky Donor.

02:54Now, if you remember, that was Ayushman Khurana's

02:57career-defining role about sperm donation.

02:59It was a comedy, but they did it a lot better.

03:02Somehow, the humour in that movie was snappier.

03:04Even Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, about a hero with erectile dysfunction,

03:09they did a good job of it.

03:11You know, the humour was more sharp.

03:13In this case, the humour feels a bit forced and contrived.

03:17Also, the movie is 150 minutes long.

03:20It could have benefited from some very good, sharp editing.

03:24Had it been shorter by 20 minutes,

03:26I think this movie would have been completely different.

03:29Now, if you're expecting to walk out of this cinema

03:33feeling on top of the world and feeling overwhelmed

03:36or with a big bang, then you're going to be mistaken.

03:39Because this is a movie that has to be enjoyed in a very slow language pace.

03:44If you're okay with that, then go watch it.

03:47I've gone with 2 out of 5.

03:49For my full review, go to gulfnews.com.

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