Hot take: Soni

In 'Soni' (2018), director Ivan Ayr takes us into the lives of two female police officers trying to run a decoy operation in nighttime Delhi. The eponymous Soni (a potent Geetika Vidya Ohlyan) is hot-headed and righteous, often flouting the protocol and taking matters into her own hands. The seemingly more cool-headed boss Kalpana (an equally stunning Saloni Batra) tries to bring her in line while sympathizing with her approach.

The film unfolds at a deliberately slow pace, allowing for long silent takes and backed by a spare, haunting soundtrack through which the gritty atmosphere of the city are brought home to the viewer. The camera frequently follows the women from behind at a very close distance, adopting the point of view of a male stalker and heightening the tension throughout. This film is not about the great, big violent acts; rather the innocuous and pervasive violence in the daily realities of these women. Offhand comments by neighbours, mothers, sisters, husbands, children, strangers and even the voice of the radio underscore the daily barbs that women have to endure as well as the received notions of misogyny that are so much a part of life in India.

Some of the backstories are not well-fleshed out, especially the relationship between Soni and her estranged boyfriend/husband which for some reason the director treats with suspense. The big reveal provides some, though not all of the motive for Soni's anger, leaving something to be desired in the writing of her character. In comparison, the boss' role is etched with a little more nuance, although again the final interaction with her niece, intended to be climactic, falls a bit flat.

Nevertheless, as a keenly observed portrait of female solidarity and what it takes to hold your own as a woman in a predominantly male occupation, the film does a fine job. Maybe, the film says, women need to mentor women: while it is hard to change a patriarchal system, women can still gradually help remove the small and big barriers that stand in each other's way. Soni paints a bleak, realistic picture of the world but leavens it with a tiny glimmer of hope.

Genre: Social drama

Language: Hindi

Runtime: 1h 37min

Year of release: 2018

Streaming platform: Netflix

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