Sreemati Film Review
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Sreemati Film Review
Directed by Arjunn Dutta, "Shrimati" tells the story of a homemaker who embarks on a journey of self-discovery while dealing with bullies. Unlike Dutta's previous film, "Guldasta" (2020), which depicted the bond between three lonely women, "Shrimati" focuses on women who find comfort in their domestic roles but may not be fully exposed to public life.
The protagonist, Shrimati Chatterjee, portrayed by Swastika Mukherjee, is a happily married woman and a passionate cook. She takes pride in preparing lavish three-course meals for her family and tends to their needs. In her free time, she explores new recipes inspired by her neighbor Rewa Di, a food writer played by Debjani Chatterjee.
However, while the film celebrates the choices of homemakers and their ability to find fulfillment in their domestic roles, it lacks sensitivity in its portrayal. The narrative may not fully capture the complexities and challenges faced by homemakers, potentially reducing their experiences to surface-level depictions.
Shrimati begins to experience self-doubt when a colleague of her husband (Soham Chakraborty), Mrs Sen (Barkha Bisht), indirectly criticizes her culinary efforts and calls the food unhealthy while having dinner at their place. A few days later, she gets invited to a party hosted by Mrs Sen, who brutally mocks Shrimati for her choice of attire and forces her to drink alcohol.
After experiencing a severe anxiety attack, Shrimati is comforted by her in-laws; however, everyone, except her husband, pushes her to reinvent herself physically. Shrimati gets into a frenzy of self-grooming to put up a certain image, only to find herself drowning in self-deception.
The loving stay-at-home mother and wife begins to feel vulnerable and threatened in an environment where she cannot spontaneously emulate the mannerisms of professional and corporate women. Though the sequences of her getting mocked by other women rather appear childish and come out of the blue, the film successfully addresses Shrimati's internal conflicts.
Shrimati’s husband loves her for who she is and cherishes their bond. When she gets humiliated, he shares her grief but doesn’t really stand up to his colleagues. Rather, he waits for Shrimati to realize what makes her special and serves as her anchor when she confesses to losing herself in her attempts to impress.