Synopsis
The subject didn’t warrant a hasty debate at the end of the film. Star should have spent more time on the subject instead of focusing on Ardra and her family’s hysterical presentation. A misleading portrayal of a relevant topic.
Critic’s Rating: 2.5/5
Story:
Ardra’s husband Roy and everyone around her are perplexed and alarmed when she suddenly becomes distant and chilly with her family members. Nobody in the family thinks to take her to the doctor, and when they do, they discover the truth.
Review:
The bodily discomforts that women experience begin in their adolescence and are often ignored. And, amusingly enough, thanks to the stigmas skillfully maintained by ‘custom and ideals,’ not even fellow women around them try to objectively examine the suffering or get the necessary treatment on time. Star, a film by Domin D Silva, depicts the challenges of a middle-aged lady who is mostly unsupported by others around her as she goes through a life-changing period.
Ardra (Sheelu Abraham) is sceptical of her busy businessman husband Roy (Joju George), and she treats her children indifferently. That wasn’t her usual demeanour, and no one seems to know what’s going on with her these days.
Because Ardra grew up in a family that practises a lot of prayers, pujas, and ancient beliefs, her friends think she’s being influenced by her childhood memories, which she left behind after marrying Roy, a Christian. Ardra’s relatives, domestic staff, and even coworkers have discovered her looking into space for hours, speaking meaningless lines, giggling to herself, and even behaving frightening. What’s the matter with her?
It is imperative that we discuss women’s issues. It is, nevertheless, as necessary to portray it on screen sensibly, with the appropriate amount of focus on the numerous elements that matter while dealing or becoming a part of such a circumstance. While making jokes about women’s physical changes is one extreme, Star’s presentation of the subject is the other.
Yes, for a woman dealing with these concerns, the scenario may be as frightening, ugly, and nonsensical as the film depicts. However, introducing superfluous jump scares, frightening stories and characters that have little to do with the topic; and extended times of delusion – even if not by the individual who suffers – does not help in focusing on the essential point here.
For outsiders, the situation of women combating the ravages of middle age may seem amusing, but it is sad for the women.
As a result, the subject didn’t deserve a hasty conversation at the end of the film. Rather than focusing on Ardra and her family’s hysterical portrayal, Star should have spent more time on the subject, or even better assisted the viewers.
Star’s team, on the other hand, deserves credit for even considering making a film about the issue.
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