Is love enough? Sir (2018)

Language: Hindi

Director: Rohena Gera

Writer: Rohena Gera

Cast: Tillotama Shome, Vivek Gomber

Genre: Drama | Romance

Imdb : Sir (2018).

Streaming on Netflix.

This movie was not on my watchlist and I would have scrolled through this quite a lot of times until Netflix decided to put it right in front of my eyes and I am glad they did. This movie was nothing short of a gem and is one of the wholesome watches I had in a long time.

Is love enough? Sir is a drama (and romance) written and directed by Rohena Gera and was presented in the Cannes Film festival followed by release in European countries in 2018. It released on Netflix on November 3, 2020.

I believe Rohena Gera did justice in giving the right title to this movie.

Is Love Enough? Sir.

Is love enough? – This part of the title, has been a common point of interest lately, and I am sure most of us would have wondered about this question at some time in our life. By adding “Sir” along with it, I believe it imparted two things- Firstly, it completely altered the perspective and scope of the title and secondly, that “Sir”  is not so much of a simple word and that it can complicate things which we believe to be simple.

The movie tells the story of Ashwin (Vivek Gomber), who lives a privileged life and his maid, Ratna (Tillotama Shome) who got widowed at the age of 19 and came to Mumbai in search of her dreams and support her family at the same time. Even though they stayed under the same roof, they were worlds apart. They represent two extreme ends of the social spectrum. Ashwin is from a reputed family, got a reputed job and a high social status. A prosperous life the other end, Ratna, who came far from her village, all the way to Mumbai, works as a maid and supports her whole family. While Ashwin leaves his grandeur wedding at the altar tries to move on and continue his privileged life, Ratna got widowed at the age of 19 and has to carry that tag all her life. But she still fights her odds, upholds her dream and above all that, tries to get her younger sister a life which she couldn’t get.

Gradually, the arc of Ratna and Ashwin’s relationship evolves. We see Ratna understanding the unsaid when she lies on the phone for Ashwin and clumsily tries to hide the returned wedding gifts before her “Sir” returns. Their worlds within the house start mixing. They find love above all the constraints of the society.

The director also gives a glimpse of how the idea of a man living alone with his maid in an apartment is still difficult to digest to a society which claims itself to be progressive.

But is this movie all about love? No. I don’t think so.

Ratna- a house maid, is not a new character whom we never came across. In our busy privileged lives, we didn’t seem to notice. Yes! Most of us, lead a privileged life and we have been taking it granted for too long. We never realized it and if we ask someone who never had it, they will tell you the rest. Someone like Ratna. She doesn’t own such a life but, she didn’t sit down and complain. Instead, she decided to fight her odds and carve herself into a strong independent woman. This is the very face of this movie and Rohena Gera was successful in presenting it with utmost perfection.

 Being a maid, she did her job sincerely. But does that count? Does that merit recognition? Being a maid, she still dreamt of becoming a fashion designer. But is that allowed? Can we actually dream beyond our social stigmas?  Unfortunately, these are some questions that are still immune to most our eyes. All these questions and many more have been raised in this film with great clarity, yet subtly.

This movie is a reminder of a lot of things and it grows on you, where it enters your heart and refuses to leave your head. I would recommend this movie as a great watch and I assure you won’t be disappointed. Because I believe Rohena Gera gets it spot on!

Once again,

Is love enough? Sir.

Verdict. 6/7 stars.