38. Love Sonia; movie review

LOVE SONIA
Cert 18
122 mins
BBFC advice: Contains sexual threat and violence

Three of four times a year, Indian cinema slips away from its well-worn path and produces movies which are quite extraordinary.
Such a film is Tabrez Noorani's Love Sonia which has somehow eluded those who hand out awards for much lesser pictures.
Mrs W and I were spellbound by the story of two innocent sisters from an Indian village more than 1,000 miles north of Mumbai, who are dragged into the sex industry.
There are several big names among its cast but its a newcomer, Mrunal Thakur, who grabs the audience with her portrayal of the title character.
Sonia tries to follow her sister (Riya Sisodiya) who is literally sold to an unscrupulous local businessman (Anupam Kher) by her desperate father (Adil Hussain).
Her naivety in trusting others leads to her finding herself in a brothel and, subsequently being trafficked.
As said, Thakur is terrific but there are also outstanding contributions by Manoj Pajpayee (one of the best villains in cinema anywhere), as the brothel owner and Freida Pinto as a world-weary prostitute.
Meanwhile, there are cameos from a couple of famous Americans in Demo Moore and Mark Duplass.
They help put Love Sonia on to a higher plane from many Bollywood movies which hire unknown and often wooden British actors.
Noorani's film may be hard-hitting but I found it a relief to see an Indian picture tackle a tough subject with gravitas.
My only fear is that themes such as sexual exploitation of young women are likely to turn off those who traditionally watch Indian movies.
I also note that many of its reviews have been lukewarm.
I struggle to understand that. This is a well-acted presentation of an issue which cuts deep into society in India and across the world.
Both Mrs W and I were utterly engrossed.

Reasons to watch: Hard-hitting reflection of sexual exploitation of young girls
Reasons to avoid: Upsetting scenes

Laughs: None
Jumps: None
Vomit: Yes
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? In India, it is estimated that there are around 135,000 children trafficked each year.

The final word - Tabrez Noorani: "We've been careful in terms of not crossing the line, to not exploit the exploited. And whether it's the NGOs behind us or industry people, everyone has said one thing in common that we have done a really good job at being very subtle and have not crossed the line."

Share this post