The Kashmir Monitor
Director Abhishek Chaubey’s narration of Sonchiriya blew actor Bhumi Pednekar’s mind. But, the woman in her felt privileged and uncomfortable at the same time.
“I started questioning my life. I said (to my myself), ‘I am this city girl. I am opinionated and have a lot of ego. I have power and I am strong. But there’s a huge section of society that still doesn’t have the power to say no.’ The kind of things that happen to my character was so heartbreaking for me,” the actor said after Sonchiriya’s world premiere.
Bhumi Pednekar plays a disillusioned woman, Indumati Tomar, from Chambal, who runs away from her house in order to protect a girl child. Sonchiriya shows Indumati as a victim of the deep-rooted patriarchy in India.
She said, “The first time I heard the script, I was honestly shattered. You have these characters on their journey to find their own truth and through the narrative, Abhishek (Chaubey) sir has commented on so many things that are still very relevant and prevalent in our society. I will speak more about the patriarchy. What I love the most about my character is that this girl does not know she has opinions or she has any strength, but she is pushed to a deep corner where her natural instincts kick in.”
“And the caste divide! Abhishek sir has spoken about the caste bias we have in our country. We obviously don’t realise it but it’s really deep,” said an overwhelmed Bhumi Pednekar, who added Sonchiriya is so special to her that she began crying after a few people praised the movie.
Ronnie Screwvala production Sonchiriya, which revolves around a group of bandits, hits screens tomorrow.
