Sara’S- a review

The films that are coming out of Bollywood fail to stir any interest in me. My favourite actors have either passed away (Irfan Khan) or are doing very few films. And on the other hand there’s Amazon Prime that keeps throwing up suggestions at me on Instagram- Hindi, English, Regional; a regular stream of films that are streaming on this platform. The brief synopsis of this particular movie caught my attention and I decided to watch it.

The thing about regional cinema is that I have no pre-conceived notions, no expectations and no previous knowledge or reference. Tabula Rasa is not a bad way to begin watching a film and Sara’S did not disappoint me in any way (I had not even read any reviews)

One of the first things that appealed to me about this Malayalam film was the overall look – so very different from a regular Bollywood film. The female lead with her thick mop of gorgeously curly hair and very smart but casual attire, the ‘hero’ who was anything but heroic; just a regular guy cheerfully sitting pillion on his lady’s two-wheeler, the lovely green landscape of Kerala interspersed with the urban setting of Kochi (metro, high-rise buildings, malls); made the entire film visually very appealing.

The film itself belongs to Sara- it’s her life and her decisions. Right from the days as a High School student, she’s shown as a bright, self-assured young lady who knows what she wants. Or doesn’t want (in this case it’s children. She. Doesn’t. Want. To. Have. children.) She grows up to become an aspiring film director whose dream it is to script and direct her own film.

Sara’s husband is fully supportive of her desire to pursue her career as a director and is as sure as she is that children are not a part of this picture. He changes his mind really fast when she accidentally gets pregnant and that’s where the problem begins. There are a host of supporting characters who add to the problem- her formidable and judgemental mother-in-law, a few prying relatives, a supportive and understanding father who nevertheless tries to play by the societal rules- Not wanting to have a child is Not an easy decision in this set-up.

The film gently but firmly makes it clear that the final decision will be Sara’S, hence the title. Her life, her body and her choices. To all those who find it disturbing that Sara decides to go ahead with an abortion in spite of the fact that her husband is not in favour of it- why don’t we find it just as disturbing when a man can insist that a woman should bear a child when she doesn’t want to? Equal rights, right? So a woman can insist that she doesn’t want a pregnancy because creating an unwanted life should be just as problematic as aborting an unwanted one. Or can’t she?

There is one scene when Sara asks her mother-in-law what she has done in life apart from having and raising children. And then she tells that disapproving lady “This can make you happy, but why does it have to be my happiness as well?” Answer that, patriarchal society!

Sara’S raises many such issues but in a light-hearted manner. No preaching, moralizing or heavy-handed drama. The end seems too simplistic and easy, all loose ends are neatly tied up. Sara’s baby is her first film and the entire family is present to congratulate her on its arrival. It’s true that such a feel-good, comfortable ending is pretty much impossible in real life. But maybe such films will encourage more conversations about this issue. And maybe we can hope that there will come a time when another Sara will be able to take such decisions without having to watch her marriage and her life fall apart.

Disclaimer: My apologies for the spoilers but you don’t want to watch this film to see how it ends!