Many films celebrate the arrangements of arranged marriages – the nervous first meeting between prospective spouses, the shy glances exchanged over plates of snacks, parents making small talk. Jayant Somalkar’s Sthal has no illusions about what this process could entail, especially for young women.
The heroine in Sthal is almost a commodity, to be traded like the bales of cotton lying around her home. What Savita (Nandini Chikte) feels about being repeatedly paraded before strangers and asked the same banal questions is not known, since nobody asks her.
Savita herself wants to complete her undergraduate degree and study further. But marriage is what is expected from her. Her plain looks make her a challenging marriage prospect, as do her farmer father’s precarious finances.
Somalkar’s Marathi drama is out in cinemas. The 107-minute film begins as an account of the indignity involved in bride selection, gradually opening out to a portrait of Savita’s small-town milieu. Somalkar’s screenplay addresses the travails of cotton farmers like Savita’s father Daulatrao, the limited horizons of young women and conservative attitudes towards romance.
The movie is neither preachy nor heavy-going. Working with a largely untrained cast, Somalkar opts for an observational approach as plain as it is revealing, empathetic towards Savita without being judgemental about the men deciding her destiny.
The choice of taking viewers through the rigmarole of bride selection in numbing detail is an excellent one. It’s better thought-out than the jarring background music in some scenes involving Savita.
The music sounds an awful lot like the theme of In the Mood for Love, and feels out of tune with a firmly realistic drama. Some tightening might have benefitted the later portions too.
Still, these hiccups of the first-time filmmaker do not dilute the impact of Somalkar’s film. Sthal has honesty and compassion, a deep understanding of social structures, and a clear-eyed view of Savita’s situation.
The film is bookended by a scene showing what Savita desires and another that reveals what actually happens to her. A woman, especially in an orthodox society, must never forget her place – this truth comes through powerfully, especially when the camera moves in on Savita’s face. First-time actor Nandini Chikte does a fine job within her limitations, movingly portraying Savita’s disquiet and dreams.
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Marathi film ‘Sthal’ exposes the indignity of bride selection
