Sir (Rohena Gera, 2018): India | France

Film reviewed by Jackson Davis. Viewed at AFI Fest 2018.

Sir is an interesting movie to say the least. The movie follows Ratna (played by Tillotama Shome), a servant under Ashwin (played by Vivek Gomber), a son from a family of wealthy builders, who recently called off his own wedding upon finding out his fiancee was having an affair. On his own, moping around his (rather large) apartment, he slowly develops feelings for Ratna.

With the setting primary kept in the apartment, director Rohena Gera is able to maintain the audience’s attention by having multiple interactions between Ashwin and Ratna, with each growing more intense and personal as time progresses. Ashwin, who spent time in the U.S. writing before returning home following his brother’s death, treats Ratna as an equal and tries to create a more personal relationship, beyond the current Master-Servant relationship they have. Ratna however is looking to pursue a career in fashion design, and know that, due to their drastically different social positions, they wouldn’t be able to have the relationship Ashwin wants.

The film is a wonderful example of a classic drama: two lovers want to be together but can’t because society wont let them. However what I found in Sir that sets it apart from other dramas is how it is almost exclusively told through the eyes of one character: Ratna. While there is a few scenes in the final acts of the movie that focus on Ashwin, the majority of the film focuses on Ratna and her struggles.

The only real gripes I had with this film its music and its dialogue. Throughout the film, only one or two songs was ever played, both of which I grew tired of listening to very quickly. The movie used the tracks constantly when switching between scenes and every time one started playing, I was immediately pulled out of the movie. My only other problem was the dialogue. While Ratna felt like a fully fleshed-out character with personality, backstory, and emotions, Ashwin felt very two-dimensional. He was either sad or romantic and never strayed from either emotion. He was given backstory but it never felt like it left an impact on his character. I do not think this is a problem with Gomber’s acting however, as he did an excellent job. The problem is the character and many point didn’t feel believable. Still, this is  a very well produced and endearing drama with some excellent cinematography and some outstanding performances.