Sonchiriya, the metaphor of a savior girl #240

Sonchiriya (literally means the golden bird) is a Hindi movie about a gang of decoits, who called themselves Baghis, the rebels.

The Story of Sonchiriya:

Maan Singh was the leader of a gang who were shot dead in a police encounter while attempting to loot dowry at a wedding ceremony. He was the heart and soul of the gang, and when he died, it fell apart. Vakil Singh wanted to carry on Maan’s legacy, but Lakhna had grown tired of this life and wanted to surrender. The decoits encountered Indumati (Thakur’s wife) with a little girl whom she called Sochiriya. The girl had been raped by the head of their family; Indumati killed that person and fled with her. She needed immediate hospitalization, so Maan’s gang agreed to help her out.

Indumati’s family arrived to take her with them, but Vakil Singh was okay with it while Lakhna resisted. Heated arguments between the decoits and Indumati’s family turned into a fight and Indumati’s son accidentally shot Vakil Singh’s brother. Lakhna managed to escape from the scene safely along with his two companions, Indumati and the little girl. Vakil Singh vowed to avenge his brother’s death and began searching for Lakhna.

The boy, under pressure from Inspector Gujjar who had held his father captive, informed Maan Singh to raid at the time of wedding. The leader played along with the plan to save the boy’s father and lost his life. Lakhna confessed to Indumati about an incident that had been haunting him for a long time: they had accidentally killed some innocent children, which he believed would bring them doom.

Saving the little girl seemed to be the path to rid themselves of the curse. Gujjar still pursued them, killing Baghis was more about his personal pleasure than a job. After admitting the girl to hospital, when Lakhna stepped in front of the Inspector to surrender, he shot him without pause. Vakil Singh died too. Gujjar couldn’t enjoy his victory for long as one of constables killed him for ridiculing one of his relatives earlier.

My thoughts on the movie:

I hadn’t heard of Sonchiriya before Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. But then people started talking about all his movies, and this one came up in the list. It received good reviews from critics and isn’t your typical Bollywood movie with music, dance, romance, and over-the-top drama. I’m not a big fan of action films but I’m glad I watched it; it features some great actors like Manoj Bajpai (Maan Singh), Ranvir Shorey (Vakil Singh), Ashutosh Rana (Inspector Gujjar), Sushant Singh Rajput (Lakhna) and Bhumi Pednekar (Indumati).

Sushant didn’t outshine all these talented people but the movie truly showcased how versatile he was as an actor. I have watched him playing Dhoni, the real life captain cool of Indian Cricket team, Sarfaraz- the lover boy in PK, Mansur- the reserved lover and a Muslim pitthu in Kedarnath, Shiv- the charming guy in Raabta, Manny- a dramatic and outspoken lover and also exceptionally brave young fellow in Dil Bechara, Anni – the hero of the loser gang and a responsible father in later life in Chhichhore… Lakhna was so different from all of his roles. From the handsome hunk- he fully converted himself in to the rugged look of a decoit who had a soft heart.

If you ask me, I would say Sonchiriya is one of Sushant’s best performances.