If the Sanya Malhotra-starrer Mrs explored the drudgery of household chores and patriarchal mindset, Marathi film Sthal (A Match) — Jayant Digambar Somalkar’s debut feature — could possibly work as a prequel, albeit in a rural Maharashtra setting. Sthal looks at the humiliating process girls have to go through as they are paraded before and questioned by the boy’s family, in an arranged marriage set-up.
The story is based on writer-director Jayant’s experience of watching his two sisters and cousins go through the awkward bride-selection process, a common practice in India. “Since my childhood, I have seen several such sessions where a prospective groom’s family and friends check if a girl is a suitable match. In the movie, there is a child who serves water to such visitors. I used to be that boy,” he says.
These meetings struck Somalkar as abasing some years later when he accompanied a cousin for one such visit. “I was uncomfortable since we were judging a girl on the basis of her complexion, height and other things,” he recalls. When he shared his thoughts with Shefali Bhusan, his wife and co-producer of Sthal, she suggested he write about it. “I wrote the script in one go, within a month,” says Somalkar.
Sthal, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2023 and won the NETPAC award for best film from the Asia-Pacific region there, is releasing in theatres in Maharashtra on March 7 after being screened at multiple festivals. The film is presented and distributed by actor Sachin Pilgaonkar, who watched the film on his daughter actor Shriya’s insistence, and was keen to support it.
From the start, Somalkar was particular about maintaining the authenticity while telling the story and remaining true to the rural milieu. Therefore, he chose to set the film in his village Dongargaon in the Vidarbha region, shooting parts of the film at his childhood home, using the local dialect and letting cultural nuances of the area seep into the screenplay.
“Our village home, which is now pulled down, was a congested space but we managed to shoot there. I wanted to capture the feel of that space though the shoot was challenging,” says Somalkar, who shot the film in 22 days. “While our crew was mostly from Mumbai, the actors were all locals.”
The soul of the film is Savita (essayed by debutant Nandini Chikte) who has dreams of higher studies. However, as her farmer parents anxiously struggle to find a suitable match for her, she has to prioritise marriage over personal aspirations though she is a bright student.
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Since she is dusky and short, she has to go through multiple rounds of matchmaking meetings which eventually end in rejection. “The mainstream cinema portrays weddings as grand affairs and matches are believed to be made in heaven. In real life, there is little glamour attached to weddings as many times parents have to take huge loans for it. Most of the time, women don’t have a say regarding who they are getting married to or when they wish to marry,” says Somalkar, who was also the co-writer and co-director of the series Guilty Minds (2022).
When Somalkar was selecting Sthal’s cast, he was impressed with Chikte’s persuasiveness. After she gave her first audition at the local college, where she was doing her graduation, Chikte hung around and requested that she give another audition. Somalkar told her that there was no need for that. Next day, when he was conducting an open audition nearly 50 km from there, Chikte reached the spot and repeated her request. This time, Somalkar gave in. “Her second audition was quite impressive. I found the Savita I was looking for. Nandini has expressive eyes and a quietness that I needed for the role.” The character of Savita is inspired by Somalkar’s elder sister who wanted to study but their middle-class family was keen to see her married.
Also Read | Sthal is personal as it is shot in the region and house where I was born and brought up: Director Jayant Digambar Somalkar
Though he did workshops for the actors, it was mainly to familiarise them with the camera. “We worked on Nandini’s body language to make her comfortable with the camera. I didn’t want to teach her acting. Wanted to retain the cast’s rawness,” says Somalkar. The crew also opted for sync sound even though it was challenging. However, the villagers were supportive. When a crew member used to say “Silence please”, they would stop their everyday work that might create sound. They even stopped playing bhajans on the loudspeaker in the evenings.
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With the ending of Sthal, Somalkar has tried to make a strong statement against such matchmaking traditions, which make women vulnerable to scrutiny and humiliation. “I have kept it open to interpretation while taking a dig at the society. I mainly want people to introspect. There should be a debate about such patriarchal traditions,” he says. The ending of Mrs, where the female protagonist takes a stand unexpectedly, has caused outrage and sparked a social media debate; Sthal can contribute significantly to that conversation.