Sukhee: These midlife musings of a middle-class housewife are heartfelt but scattered

A homemaker, Sukhpreet Kalra aka Sukhee (Shilpa Shetty), is treated like a doormat by her husband Guru (Chaitannya Choudhry) and teenage daughter Jassi (Maahi Jain). She’s become used to her existence and doesn’t ever raise her voice against it. She used to be a hellraiser while in school and college. Not only did she top her studies but was also the head girl, excelled in sports and won horse races to boot. She’s reminded of all that when she goes on a school reunion and gets to spend time with her besties, played by Kusha Kapila, Pavleen Gujral and Dilnaz Irani. Amit Sadh, who had a crush on her since childhood also makes an appearance. Meeting him, she’s reminded that she’s still beautiful, still desirable and she learns to appreciate herself more. She has been cut off from her parents, especially her father, Kiran Kumar, after her love marriage and she reconnects with them almost 20 years later, leading to a closure to another unhappy aspect of her life.
Sukhee, written by Sonal Joshi, Radhika Anand, Paulomi Datta and Rupinder Inderjit can be said to be the story of every middle class woman. It has shades of the hit Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen (2021), which focussed a harsh light on the way housewives are treated in our society. The themes are more or less the same, but the treatment is totally different. The Malayalam film focussed on the protagonist’s disenchantment with the institution of marriage and her rebellion against it. She chooses to leave her family and never go back. Here, while Sukhee rebels, she still comes back to be with her husband and daughter. Also, unlike the Malayalam film, where the protagonist becomes financially independent, that’s not the case here. You see her taking part in a horse race and riding a bike. But these are superficial things and don’t really lead up to financial independence.
The film reiterates the rhetoric surrounding coming-of-age films – women should have the right over their sexuality, reproduction, their body shape and lifestyle. Women in the upper echelons may have gained that freedom but there are millions out there who are still treated as being second class citizens. That’s the point brought out by the film. Another moot point is that women will only gain freedom if they support one another. The four friends are shown supporting each other through emotional turmoil without getting judgemental and that’s the most important aspect of the film.