Director: Tahira Kashyap Khurrana
Writer: Tahira Kashyap Khurrana
Cast: Sakshi Tanwar, Divya Dutta, Saiyami Kher, Vanshika Taparia, Arista Mehta, Sharib Hashmi, Parvin Dabbas
Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video
The smartest thing about Sharmajee Ki Beti, Tahira Kashyap Khurrana’s directorial debut, is its title. The term is a riff on the colloquial Indianism “Sharmaji Ka Beta,” the perfect hypothetical boy often used as a frame of reference by middle-class parents to inspire their own sons. The implication is that this imaginary neighbour’s son is the ultimate benchmark in studies, work and life. He can do no wrong – he is the ideal child.
The gender reversal of this term features five different vignettes – and Sharma(s) – of womanhood. There’s Swati Sharma (Vanshika Taparia), a 13-year-old schoolgirl desperate to get her first period. There’s her best friend, Gurveen Sharma (Arista Mehta), who’s confused about her sexual orientation. There’s Swati’s mother, Jyoti Sharma (Sakshi Tanwar), a sincere tuition teacher trying to juggle work and parenthood. There’s Gurveen’s mother, Kiran Sharma (Divya Dutta), a wealthy Patiala-born homemaker struggling to adapt to Mumbai. And there’s Tanvi Sharma (Saiyami Kher), a Ranji cricketer with a pretty boyfriend who thinks she isn’t girly enough. In society’s eyes, they must conform to patriarchal notions of their gender: Straight, submissive, feminine, domestic. The implication of their journey is that these non-imaginary daughters and wives and girlfriends are the benchmark in courage and complexity. They can do wrong – and defy the very concept of idealism.
