COVID-19 Special: 'Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai' (12)

ArtStation - Choked Movie Poster | Nakul Anand | Netflix, Nakul Anand

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Cast: Saiyami Kher, Roshan Mathew, Amruta Subhash

Where can I watch?: Choked is streaming on Netflix

Rating: 4/5

Review: Netflix's attempts to diversify its entertainment collection seems to have accelerated rapidly during lockdown, with a number of new international offerings becoming readily available in amongst all the nostalgic 90s releases. One such film is Choked, a Hindi-language film that centres around put-upon bank worker Sarita (the engaging Saiyami Kher) and her disintegrating marriage. Setting the scene in a tumbledown set of flats - paint-flaking ceilings and a drain that constantly leaks and gurgles are as much characters as their human counterparts - we're hurled into Sarita's tiring existence, but could salvation be at hand? Marrying Bollywood-esque musical sequences with grainy news footage capturing the fallout of Modi's monetary reforms, director Anurag Kashyap effortlessly moves from fantasy to reality, all from the perspective of our long-suffering protagonist (and believe me, Sarita is long-suffering!), expertly demonstrating how national news impacts the domestic sphere. It's well done, if a little far-fetched come the conclusion, and certainly entertaining, making it a welcome English-language alternative. Although a dubbed version is available as default, I watched Choked in its original format with subtitles for a more authentic experience.

A COVID-19 Must-Watch?: Something a little different for UK viewers, this understated thriller/black comedy highlights some of Prime Minister Modi's controversial reforms via a very believable domestic setting, with an excellent performance by Saiyami Kher's at its heart.

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