Choked (2020)

Choked (2020) directed by Anurag Kashyap had an intriguing plot of a middle-class family with a single breadwinner, a tight budget, suddenly finding large sums of cash. I liked the film and could’ve rated it higher, but mid-way it unnecessarily slows down and strays to demonetization and bank robbery. It is available on Netflix.

Sarita Pillai (Saiyami Kher) and her husband Sushant Pillai (Roshan Mathew) are a lovely middle-class couple who have run into money problems due to Sushant’s failed business ventures. Sarita is a bank clerk, who is managing the household, works hard in the bank, and repaying Sushant’s borrowings. This creates friction in their relationship and frequent fights – these have been pictured so well that we get a feel of being their neighbours watching the happenings.

Both Saiyami Kher and Roshan Mathew have done a superb job in living their characters. Whether it is the fear when she finds the money or the anger she feels for her husband or her disapointment with herself when she fails to sing on stage or her uneasiness when the clock strikes 3 AM, Saiyami brings out the mixed emotions of Sarita very well. She deserves an award for her performance.  Director has shown the community bonding between the neighbours nicely.

If you don’t mind the slow-paced narration and the few illogical portions, you can watch some good cinema here.