Review : For Real

The cliche for domestic violence in our films has been painfully uni-dimensional in the last few years. Wife-beating, yelling, grandstanding and jingoism are common strains that can be found in a huge majority of our films, the minority being virtually negligible. While this cliche might hold true for a large number of families, there’s an even more sinister form of domestic strife that has been ignored by our filmmakers for so long. A family that looks happy & peaceful from the outside but faces the pressure of strong undercurrents bursting at its seams from within, ready to tear it apart anytime. A ticking time bomb.

Sona Jain’s For Real examines this silent form of domestic strife in an innovative and sensitive fashion. The family in question is an upper middle class family from the NCR comprising Dr.Shukla (Adil Hussain), his singer turned homemaker wife Priya (Sarita Choudhury) and their two preteen kids Shruti (Zoya Hassan) & Paras (Sriharsh Sharma). Sona uses the 5 year old Shruti as the pivot of the story, which is a unique and commendable feat given the extremely sensitive subject of the film. The handling of the issue is unbiased and mature as Sona doesn’t take any sides on the divide and also depicts the intensity of the strife without depicting any serious emotional or physical violence, with the exception of one scene where again, it hardly gets too loud. Ustad Zakir Hussain’s measured background music maintains the mood of the film throughout, thus enhancing its feel.

For Real makes a strong point on how deeply children can be affected even if they get as much as a whiff of the undercurrents between their parents. And how the parents, often blinkered by their single-minded focus towards the competitive world, tend to ignore the cries of help from the children. It also deftly deromanticizes love marriages, showing how the initial passion of the relationship makes way for individual agendas with the passage of time. The only way to prevent this is effective communication between the partners, in the absence of which, things invariably take an ugly turn. The Shuklas don’t bear any spontaneous malice towards each other. But the clash in their priorities creates an explosive conflict between them. And just as human beings often do, they get unwittingly antagonistic towards each other, thus closing all channels of communication. The film shows this in no uncertain terms.

For Real also explores a child’s mind with a fair amount of depth. The relationship between Shruti & Paras is detailed with a lot of heart. One can see various shades of the relationship – love, concern, respect, jealousy, mischief & competitiveness – being emphasised at the right places with the right intensity. But the aspect of the film where Sona’s sensitivity towards the subject and her maturity shine throughthe most  is the portrayal of Shruti’s character. Her fears, insecurities and dreams are blended with the happenings around her in a layered manner and we realise the gravity of the situation as the film progresses and the skeletons tumble out of the closet.

For Real is primarily a performance based film and the actors have played their parts with sincerity and passion. Adil Hussain, Sarita Choudhury & Sameer Dharmadhikari (as a family friend and a psychiatrist) are consistently solid. Sarita is surely someone to watch out for. But the real stars of the film are the two kids, Zoya Hasan & Sriharsh Sharma. Their nuanced acting is what makes For Real such a compelling watch. Sona deserves a huge applause for having extracted such lovely turns from the kids in a film with heavily adult content.

The film is slated for a theatrical release next month though what remains to be seen is how many prints are released. And this looks like another case of a good film showcasing great efforts being ignored by the junta at large. I’m sincerely praying that people prove all my fears baseless.