FF NETWORK
Kabeer Khurana’s short film “Suttabazi” was released on Disney+ Hotstar starring Sushmita Sen’s elder daughter Renee Sen. This short-Film was screened at Bandra Film Festival. Shot in four walls, the other cast of the movie were Rahul Vohra and Komal Chhabria. However, it is a 13-minute long film that got an IMDB rating of 6.8. It’s a tale of a 19-year-old girl Diya, who is a rising social media star, and a stealthy smoker. Her family is like the pressure cooker of the generation gap. And, that whistle may blow out anytime. Suttabaazi narrates a believable story of an upper-middle-class family.
For those who don’t know, “Suttabazi ” is a term used in a few parts of India to reflect the act of smoking a cigarette. The movie has a plausible connection with cigarettes. However, the makers do not promote this activity. Also, it is used as a coarse thread in a modern dysfunctional family. Talking about the debut of Renee Sen. She is portrayed as a mature girl in the movie. Due to the Covid-19 lockdown, she is stuck at home with her parents. The time which is reflected in the movie was when venturing outside was not the norm. In the first scene, Diya is found smoking a cigarette in her washroom. And, watching her Instagram followers go down. She is always busy uploading the content on Instagram to get followers.
Renee Sen is portrayed as a teenager who is more bothered about her social media engagements than her studies. However, this act was seen as being discouraged by her mother Komal Chhabria in the movie. Apart from this, there is a lot of unresolved hostility between Diya and her parents. Just like a typical upper-middle-class mother, Diya is also discouraged from using smartphones all the time. On the other hand, she is not happy with her husband either. Because she wants her to go outside and work.
Diya’s mother character is the image of a woman who sacrifices her career, dreams, and aspirations for her marriage. The relationship between Diya’s parents was a typical image of unbalanced marriage. After a few minutes of the film, it is shown that Diya’s mother wants to start her Hindi coaching classes. But, her husband tries to null and void her statement. However, the whole movie is based on conversations between the three. Now, the twist lies in the latter part of the film that gave it a heartwarming ending. The habits which were earlier discouraged by Diya’s mother finally came into use. Suttabazi is a kind of contemporary film that accentuates the need to communicate with teenagers and their parents. And, it is done through a necessary evil, technology.
Director Kabeer Khurana and the team have done a decent job. Whereas, the problem lies with the duration and concept of the movie. It is just a 13-minute long film in which he tried to cover issues like hazards of smoking, women being second-rate citizens, the generation gap, and smoking from different perspectives. In the rage of showing all these things altogether, few issues faced a lack of space. And, then the movie would have a different impact. This movie is neither too impressive nor too pathetic. In crux, it has tried to bite off more stuff than it can chew.
Talking about the main cast response at Suttabazi and Bandra Film Festival, Renee Sen said, “I am glad that this wretched short film is receiving. We framed this during last year’s lockdown. And, it makes me happy to see that so many platforms are acknowledging our work. Bandra Film Festival is said to have an amazing lineup of films. And, I feel overwhelmed to be a part of this film festival. Suttabazi was my first attempt to impress people. This movie taught me a lot. Those days and mess-ups on the set made me more goal-oriented”.
