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Hot take: Aunty Sudha Aunty Radha

Writer's picture: AmrutaAmruta

Updated: Jan 13, 2021



'Aunty Sudha Aunty Radha' (2019) is a short documentary about two women in the golden years of their life. Director Tanuja Chandra takes us into the world of the two sisters (her real-life aunts), who we soon learn are as alike as chalk and cheese. We are introduced to the army of staff that attends to these two women and let in to their lives. Many have worked for the family for years, and even though they don't all get along, they take their differences with grace.

Eeshit Narain's cinematography is gentle and humanist, filling the screen with natural light (or lack thereof) and showing great restraint in staying away from overt symbolism of any kind (tempting in such a story). Special mention must be made for the smooth editing by Chandan Arora, which breaks up the linear storytelling and gives us a sense of a rich and large ecosystem around the two protagonists.


The two old women have strong personalities, and much of this film will make you laugh out loud, as they speak with the carefree abandon only allowed to women their age. The impression it leaves is delicate: we know we have witnessed a microcosm of a gentler society but the point is not hammered home. Instead, this gem leaves you with a smile on your face, evoking memories of your own grandmothers and reminding you that old age is a deep and rarely-mined subject for cinema.


Genre: Documentary

Language: Hindi Runtime: 49 min Year of release: 2019 Streaming platform: MUBI


Hot take is a series in which I offer my first impressions of films from India and around the world.

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