The thought of someone passing away in a family is filled with endless grief, longing, and sorrow. But what happens when this very idea is turned topsy turvy and turned into a dark comedy drama that also makes you think about the wicked ways the society works? Pagglait on Netflix, directed by Umesh Bist and starring Sanya Malhotra, is a refreshing movie about dealing with grief, repressive traditions, and everything in between.
Pagglait Starring Sanya Malhotra Is A Fun Spin On Grief And Patriarchy: Plot And Top Reasons To Watch
Plot Synopsis Of Pagglait
Pagglait, starring Sanya Malhotra as Sandhya, follows her life as she loses her husband just five months after her marriage. The young, newly widowed-girl and her in-laws are in shock and the latter are in considerable grief as they lose the son they were financially dependent on.
While Sandhya is expected to grieve like any other wife, she is unable to deal with the gravitas of the moment. In a crucial moment, she clears it out to a film character that she simply is unable to grieve as her relationship with her late husband was never that emotionally intense. And that does make sense given that Sandhya was only married to Astik, her ex-husband for a mere five months. What follows next is how she deals with her ‘grief’, how she handles her conservative in-laws and family members, and how she realizes her true dreams that were suppressed under the garb of a rushed marriage.
Why You Should Watch Pagglait
It Humanizes Grief Beyond An Objective Emotion
Why I like this movie in the first place is how it deals with sensitive topics like death in the most light-hearted way. No, it doesn’t present the idea of passing away as something ‘comical’ but instead ‘normalizes’ it as just one of the different phases of one’s life.
It tells you in the most subtle ways how grief is also relative – two people grieving for the same person may not grieve with the same intensity; it is directly proportional to how much you know them. Through its dark comedy, the film reveals how everyone has their own unique way of processing grief and coming to terms with loss, making the experience deeply personal and beautifully human.
It Takes A Dig At Patriarchal Norms
The movie, while dealing with a complicated and intense emotion like grief, also takes a dig at the often conservative patriarchal practices that entrap widows. It subtly nudges at the issues widows often face – they’re strictly supposed to grieve, take care of the grieving family, sacrifice their joys and many material possessions after their husband’s death, and live a simpler, rather boring life.
Pagglait shows how patriarchy isn’t just in the explicit norms but also hidden in the traditions we often accept without ever raising a question. It brilliantly shows how patriarchal norms don’t just end after a woman’s marriage but also continue to thrive after she loses her husband.
A Solid Cast That Pulls It Off
Sanya Malhotra is an actor that has time and again proved her artistic finesse, be it Dangal, Photograph, or Pataakha. The actor, through her brilliant performance in Pagglait, once again proves why she is one of the finest young actors in Hindi cinema today. She deserves praise especially for how she perfectly maintains constraint and lets the micro-expressions on her face do the talking.
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She is not bursting out a dialog in every scene she features in, but many times her eyes, narrowed smile, and brows convey emotions way better than any words ever could. Also, the supporting cast is brilliant and blends well with the setting of the story. The cast manages to make you feel like you’re literally peeping into a typical conservative middle-class family.
The Movie Fills You With Hope
They say, it’s never too late to do anything, and Pagglait is a film that underlines it in the most wholesome way. Sandhya, whose parents have always dreamt of getting her married as their ‘last’ big aspiration, is a girl who has never really lived life on her own terms. Even as a topper in her M. A. days, Sandhya ended up getting married to her late husband.
Towards the end of the movie, you see her finally taking a step to liberate herself from the shackles of patriarchal norms. Sandhya decides to move to a new city and begin a new life for herself, showing the world how her husband’s passing away is not the end for her. She proves that her life is more than just being a wife and a widow – and she begins a new life for herself. Even today, there are so many young girls and women who let go of their dreams and jobs the moment they get married. Pagglait then effortlessly shows how even after your husband parts ways with you, you can still chase your dreams and begin anew!
It Doesn’t Demonize The ‘Other’ Woman
There is an interesting subplot in the movie where Sandhya, after finding a photograph of a different woman in Astik’s belongings, begins to suspect her and Astik’s affair. She also assumes that this is why her husband never grew close to her. However, it is only after the two women meet that Sandhya realizes that whatever they had was before their marriage and that he never cheated on her. Sandhya, when she initially meets the supposed ‘other’ woman, expresses a rather natural reaction of anger, dislike, and betrayal. But as the two women grow closer, Sandhya starts admiring her and her lifestyle. And towards the end of the movie, Sandhya too aims to fly high and live an independent life like the ‘other’ woman she once disliked.
Summing Up
To be honest, there hardly is anything that misses the mark in Pagglait. From an able cast to a well-written and well-executed story, the movie is a fun, refreshing spin on the way social commentary movies are made. It is light-hearted, thought-provoking, and most importantly, has its heart in the right place. So, when are you watching this brilliant movie?
