Sherni – movie review

At times, there comes a movie, that even though is theoretically perfect, fails to give the movie experience. Sherni falls right into that category of movies that are so realistic, it doesn’t feel like a movie. The story follows, something like a day in the life of a honest forest officer. And especially a lady forest officer. The trials and tribulations she faces both on personal and professional front are so candid that, it doesn’t feel like watching a movie, but a cctv camera recording. Vidya Balan is the lead in this movie and carries it through from scene one till end credits. Her frustrations and extreme anger are subtly expressed with just a flash of eyes at best. And this subtlety from the beginning, feels as if something big is being setup for a vent out in the end. That never happens. So does the tigress, T12, who never shows her face on screen except for a video grab and on couple of photos. The very first instance of the tiger actually coming on screen is the climax of the movie and also for the animal. Throughout the movie, the storyline is made gripping and the narrative is so full of shady characters that, had the climax been commercial, taking so called cinematic liberties, it might’ve actually helped. Like the tigress who is forever in hiding, the outburst of Vidya’s character never comes and the ending, even though is very hard hitting and as real as possible, doesn’t give the satisfaction. The guilty getting victorious, the good person getting bogged down with defeat after defeat is something that is becoming an accepted pattern in storytelling. Good has lost its winning streak versus the evil in movies and it’s the run of evil on box office. The more negative a character is, more positive the response. Even for heroes, there was a time when they wanted to play negative roles to make a difference. Wish the same trend reverses and someone strikes gold at playing MGR like roles back on the screen. Despite it lacking any cinematic bite, the helplessness of the climax is hard hitting. Rather than preserving real life creatures, Vidya is transferred to a museum of animals that runs short on budget to even preserve those stuffed versions. The story has so many real life paradoxical situations that it is difficult to figure out an actual bad guy or a villain. What will you say about a government official, who in order to meet the government target of 1000 trees, tries to grow more trees. On paper it sounds genial and good. What if that land happens to be the grazing land of the near by village and since it is now taken over for tree plantation, they have to move into jungle for grazing. What if that trespasses into the land of the wild and they attack back. What if that causes the same government, not to kill the animal but to sedate it and send it to zoo. Again good intentions. What if the team tries to catch the animal alive, but local politicians step in to score brownie points and screw it all up. Again, can’t fault a politician to loose an opportunity, how much ever stupid it may be. Why blame the hunter for trying to kill the animal rather than capturing it live, when the responsible team had failed time and again in doing so. There are no answers. Only stupid illogical situations and hare brained people at decision making tables. The movie was so bland and blatant in its portrayal that it leaves a sense of helplessness at our system and on our own future. Sherni,  the title, may not have meant the spirit of tigress, but the real life of one and not a good one at that.