In an industry that revels in churning out stereotypical rom-coms with larger-than-life characters and all the razzmatazz befitting a spectacular musical, it is refreshing to come across a movie like Khandaani Shafakhana that tackles the social stigma surrounding sex and fertility issues in small town India. Directed by debutant filmmaker Shilpi Dasgupta, the movie is centred around a medical representative Babita 'Baby' Bedi whose family has fallen on hard times. So when she inherits a sex clinic from her uncle Hakim Tarachand (Kulbushan Kharbanda) in the small town of Hoshiyarpur, Punjab, despite the reservations of her conservative family, including her long-suffering mother played by Nadira Babbar and brother Bhooshit Bedi (Varun Sharma of Fukrey fame), she take it on. The will stipulates that Baby must run the clinic for six months before she is allowed to sell it. How she manages to win over her uncle's regular patients and break the shackles around the topic of sexual disorder forms the crux of the story. While the movie is beautifully mounted and handles a delicate subject quite sensitively, it is also at times excruciatingly slow. But probably that gives the director ample time to build the story and focus on various relationships - be it between the Hakim and his niece, or the one between Baby and the guy selling lemon juice in the neighbourhood. Sonakshi turns in a fabulous performance and the myriad emotions flitting through her face as she encounters the various intimate ailments plaguing her patients is a delight to watch. Varun Sharma as Baby's good-for-nothing brother, Bhooshit Bedi, pitches in with the buffoonery. He has some of the best dialogues in the movie and delivers it with perfect comic timing. Though there are times when you feel like shaking him up a bit, considering that he is busy taking selfies even as his sister Baby is going all out to ensure the family is fed and sheltered. Annu Kapoor turns in his usual solid performance as lawyer Tagra. Rapper Badshah makes his movie debut as actor/singer Gabru Ghatak, the clinic's most high profile client. He turns in a decent performance- it helps, of course, that he plays himself! It's admirable to see an actress like Sonakshi take on a role that not many mainstream actors would have been comfortable doing. Bollywood movies like Vicky Donor and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan have tackled similar topics earlier, though they were all male-driven. It helps also that the movie is never preachy, but tries to put out its message in a light-hearted palatable manner. Khandaani Shafakhana is not a movie for everyone; it is bold, in-your-face, and makes a strong case for breaking societal shackles around a topic that is still considered taboo in most Asian families. If you like issue-based movies with a heavy dose of laughter, then go for it. Movie: Khandaani Shafakhana Stars: Sonakshi Sinha, Badshah, Varun Sharma, Annu Kapoor, Nadira Babbar, Priyansh Jora Director: Shilpi Dasgupta Rating:3 out of 5
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