Love Sonia Review - A Punch To The Gut.

If you like your movies like you do wrestling matches, that is an absolute punch to the gut, Love Sonia is for you. Director Tabrez Noorani, who’s co-produced multi-starrers like The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Lion is what I like to call the anti-Karan Johar. Instead of transporting Indians to the lands of big mansions and snazzy cars, he brings the Western world back home. He has a knack for telling stories that play out brilliantly against the context they’re set in. Ironically, his biggest strength in those films is his weakness here.

Because Love Sonia, though Tabrez tries, can’t help but be unmistakably urban. Its settings, its cautionary storytelling and especially, its characters are nothing but an outsider’s view. So much so; that in the second half, the story leaves the by-lanes of Mumbai and moves to Hong Kong and Los Angeles. This is when Tabrez officially loses grip over the story. Love Sonia then becomes over-indulgent, purposefully conscious, and ultimately … too much to handle.

In a recent interview, the creator of the controversial Insatiable, Lauren Gussis even said, “Shying away from certain facets of life would be bordering on censorship.” Tabrez applies the same principles, but with a lighter touch. So, nothing in Love Sonia is as horrific as that eponymous last scene in Nagesh Kukunoor’s Lakshmi where Shefali Shah holds the penis of her castrated pimp. Still, there’s dirty sex, and the cinematography by Lukasz Bielan is claustrophobic - caressing Sonia’s haunted face at every given moment. It’s evocative and atmospheric.

Tabrez greatly benefits from his ensemble cast. Freida Pinto as a bruised but inflicting worker at the brothel Sonia lands up in is especially good. But she’s overshadowed by Richa Chaddha’s brilliant turn as her co-worker. Richa has a lull of sadness whenever she’s on screen; and the show that Madhuri puts on to the rest of the world is one of the film’s brightest spots. There’s even the men here. Anupam Kher is the weakest. He’s not used to these villainous tones; therefore, he takes a note out of the dated and frayed Amrish Puri school of villainy. To begin with, his character is written with lack of depth, and he just can’t pull it off.

Manoj Bajpayee and Adil Hussain walk away with full marks. Manoj is boldly scheming whenever we meet him. He metamorphoses effortlessly into a creep who doesn’t know otherwise. He instils lifelike qualities into Faizal. As repulsive as he is, you can’t look away. But out of the men, Adil, a fine actor, is just painfully heartbreaking. Even as he horrendously sells Sonia’s sister, Preeti, to a brothel, you can’t help but feel sorry for Shiva as he tries to do the best with what he’s got. Rajkummar Rao is also part of this posse; but his role just involves too little for him to be memorable. Raj seamlessly blends into the background, so the other, more fascinating characters get their moment to shine. It’s refreshingly self-aware.

But, ultimately, Love Sonia rests on debutante Mrunal Thakur who runs with Tabrez’s script. She is absolutely brilliant as the young girl with a mission. Mrunal’s face, especially in the more uncomfortable scenes is absolutely heartbreaking. It’s been hours and you still can’t get her out of your mind. She’s brilliant as the titular lead with a heart of gold. You believe her when she says she unconditionally loves her sister, who she’ll go to any lengths for. The quietude with which she conducts herself; even around this atmosphere of chaos is brilliant, and Mrunal flies when Love Sonia does.

But in the second half, the energy runs high, and Love Sonia just cracks. Tabrez can’t help but show the more urban side of things, and therefore we are transposed to Hong Kong and LA, where famed actor Demi Moore and director Mark Duplass make short but effective cameos. Demi, especially, leaves a mark on the screen. She reminds you of a distant relative of Nicole Kidman’s Sue from Lion (2016). But even as Tabrez stumbles, his cast doesn’t. They’re just too brilliant, and each of them set the screen ablaze.

Which is why I suggest you watch Love Sonia. It takes a noticeable dip in its second half, but it’s a punch to the gut. Its actors are simply so fine that you’ll never get them out of your mind. I guarantee, you’ll walk out of Love Sonia with a tear in your eye, and an aching hollowness in your heart - one that only films with the likes of Sairat (2016) could invoke.

Ultimately, Love Sonia is imperfect and frayed, sometimes tedious. It’s just like its titular lead. Sonia’s face still won’t escape my mind.