Filmmaker Khaled Mohammad have attempted to portray complex women in his movies before like in ‘Fiza’ and ‘Tehzeeb’. In Silsiilay he achieves a smooth amalgamation of the uniquely complex and the age old intricacies of the female heart.
Silsiilay is the story of three women-Zia ( Bhoomika Chawla), Rehana(Tabu) and Riya Sen. How they succeed in taking the ultimate decision in their lives.
Silsiilay becomes a realistic yet entertaining look at the knots and loose ends in relationships. I had high expectations from it since it has a brigade of talented people performing and putting it together like actor Tabu, National Award winning cinematographer Santosh Shivan, sound designer Rakesh Ranjan and editor A. Sreekar Prasad.
I was not disheartened at what I got.
Zia is an upcoming actor who gets ditched by live in partner and mentor Rahul Bose.
Bhoomika Chawla has come of age with her restrained performance. Striking is the last encounter between her and Rahul where she says that her dog still loves him. The poignancy mixed in her sense of humor when she almost compels her ex-beau to make their last meeting memorable.
Div ya Dutt as her sister again delivers a commendable performance.(Remember her in ‘Veer Zara’)
Her discovery of the truth and handing over to Neel( Rahul) the CD as she tells him:.. “Aap bahut bhale aadmi hai magar ek aurat ka dard nahi samaj paye.”
Sarcasm peeps from here and there in Silsiilay. Be it in the picturisation of the song between Bhoomika and Rahul or the story between Ria the working girl and Ashmit the rich brat.
Ria who is shown to be so uncomfortable when Nikhil (Ashmit) tries to bed her in the hotel room gives herself up to colleague Jimmy Shergill so easily and that also under the sky in an open field. However I feel instead of the unnecessary necking in this episode understatement could have been used. Natasha of ‘Kavyanjali’ fame plays the perfect buddy here.
I don’t know why it feels that every women in this movie is such a first grade creation. They convince you so much. Even Celina Jetley as the sexy other woman in the Tabu episode is created with so much subtlety. Tabu waits like a patient wife for the philandering husband KK Menon. Inayat his teenage son silently loves his stepmom Rehana (Tabu) and is instrumental in opening her eyes.
The truth is revealed and even before KK can say Talak Talak Talak…Tabu slaps him but with her words that she has decided not to stay with him and she wont cry either.
Working women may pursue different dreams, may have different aspirations. Be it Zia the actor who wants a child and gets it out of wedlock, Ria, the receptionist who looks for true dedication and gets it in her colleague Jimmy or Celina the Air Hostess who is so career conscious.
Even the men have their own colors. Be it Rahul the rugby playing gambling dude who is leaves his loyal lover, Inayat the hunky youngster who falls for the much older Tabu, Jimmy the silent lover or Nikhil(Ashmit) the rich sex crazy empty vessel.
The dialogues (Khalid Mohamed) are exceptionally expressive. When Neel (Rahul Bose) meets Zia (Bhumika Chawla) for the last time, comments on her sarcasm:
’’Thank you for one peg of whisky and two pegs of sarcasm, ’’
When Zia feigns suicide and later wakes up Div ya Dutt tells her:
’’I’m crying because you are not.’’
Shah Rukh Khan as the narrator brings in a special quality to this film. He accomplishes a serious task but with humor.
All the main women characters come together for the finale and here is where lies the flaw of the movie. It has an abrupt end.
People have brought in comparisons with Ratnam’s ‘Yuva’ but see the movie and judge for yourself.