Sahela Re (2022)

There is something about old & unconfessed love that is so melancholic, so heartbreaking, and yet so pure & special, like a deeply hidden treasure box... 💌

'Sahela Re' is a story about Shama, a housewife of a luminary named "Vikram Rajadhyakshya". Revolving around his life and existing nothing other than his wife, she is stuck in a cycle of living for everyone except herself. Until one day, when an old memory in the form of a friend "Niranjan Kane" re-enters her life, to show her who she was before dissolving her identity as just a wife/mother/daughter-in-law, to make her realize she is much more than what she believes, and changes her life completely. 

'Sahela Re' is one of those films which I'll revisit a lot of times in the future just for being in complete love with how they've handled this sensitive story with such mature dialogues. The performances of all characters are so real & believable - With Sumit Raghavan's joyful and charming personality, Subodh Bhave's sharp and confident one, and Shama's delicate yet innately strong personality - all of them are immensely relatable characters as if we know someone around us who is exactly like each one of them. 

The songs in the film, "Sai Bai Ga" which is a unique metaphor used for Shama's life throughout the film, with a melody that doesn't leave you for a long time. And secondly "Re Manala" which is a song about a mind stuck in a paradox, a stirring melody that is questioning the desires of one's heart. 

The beauty of this film lies in the fact that this film doesn't make Vikram's character a villain even though Shama has lost her authentic self being with him. Vikram is a good human being right from the start, albeit self-centred. He is so surrounded by his world that he fails to see Shama's, and she gets drowned by his world and never speaks much about hers. But this reality is as much her fault as it was his. For someone to understand what you want, you need to speak up too. And this film showed that when you stand up for yourself, the surrounding people get used to it and adjust to your new self too. You just need to have faith in yourself and take that step. Shama's renewed version is still family-oriented but now giving value to herself along with others, standing true to her dreams and not distracting herself from them anymore.

On the fort, when Niranjan asks Shama if Vikram has any idea about their friendship, she goes into denial of Niranjan being a close friend out of the guilt & shame of being married. Towards the end of the film when Shama introduces Niranjan to Vikram, it is an important scene in the film where she is allowing herself to have a close male friend and be transparent to her husband about it. But the cherry on top was Vikram's reaction and expressions after this scene - him understanding that there was a past but not distrusting the present because of it, was so beautifully captured on screen. And Subodh Bhave being Subodh Bhave, he owns that scene completely ❤️

There's also another beautiful scene where Shama and Vikram go for the registration of her new business, and she asks him to stay outside, because she wants to handle it by herself. But what makes this scene more sweet is she saying to him "पण तू हवा असतोस मला बरोबर" - meaning no matter if one is independent enough to do things by themselves, we all want someone to be there with us nevertheless, supporting us and yet making us feel capable enough that we can do it ourselves, basically being a part of our independence. Shama did not need him to be there, rather she wanted him to be there, and that's what makes all the difference. 

Overall this film is a wholesome journey of all the three characters, of different kinds of relationships handled with amazing sensibilities. Kudos to Mrinal Kulkarni for bringing such a topic and presenting it with such great execution on screen!🎉

This film is available on the OTT platform 'Planet Marathi'!🎥