Introduction –
Just before the film ends, a song echoes in the background. The lyrics of which roughly translate into “I seek a bit of your love”. These few words just about sum up the story of Pressure Cooker which incidentally is written by Paavni Wadhwan and directed by Heena D’Souza.
Synopsis –
The film depicts the life of a typical Indian middle class housewife Swati ( Pallavi Joshi ) seeking love and attention from her husband ( Mukul Chadda ) whose only objective is to make sure that their lives chug along smoothly, without hiccups. In the humdrum these routine activities love becomes a displaced commodity.
The film is set in the early 1990’s when radio was one of the cheapest entertainment avenues. The very first shot offers a glimpse of what the film is all about. Swati is standing in the balcony observing a young girl and a boy, away from each other, conversing through their eyes, gestures and facial expressions. Swati smiles and then walks inside when the cooker erupts with a sharp whistle.
She swears involuntarily because the cooker is giving her a lot of trouble. From the other side of the small apartment her husband, a devout man, troubles her with his frequent calls. Exasperated she finally serves him breakfast, and then sits next to him. Although her husband is travelling on an official trip, Swati is quick to discuss the status of her cooker. She demands money to repair. However, her husband denies; says he will repair it himself when he comes back.
After her husband leaves a lady friend visits Swati. She narrates her romantic escapades with different men. Although Swati is shocked at her friend’s frivolous and dangerous and immoral adventures, she smiles at her. It is at this point in time her friend sows the seed of devil inside Swati. She tells him if it wasn’t for the thrills of these flirtatious moments even she would exploded like a pressure cooker.
Hurt and challenged by her friend she visits a shop and buys a new one. The salesman, a street smart character entices her with his friendly gestures and later visits Swati’s house. Will Swati succumb? Watch Khamakha on YouTube – HumaraMovie.
Analysis –
Pallavi Joshi is always a joy to watch while Mukul Chadda never fails to impress with his unique personality and innocent looks. Pressure Cooker may not make sense to today’s viewers because infidelity has turned into an insignificant subject. Pallavi Joshi shines as a typical middle class house wife, portraying the fears of illicit relationship beautifully while Mukul Chadda’s performance as an ordinary, ignorant and focused husband is equally impressive.
Year of Release – 2017 | Director – Heena D’Souza | Writer – Paavni Wadhwan | Running Time – 16 Minutes | Availability – YouTube – Humaramovie.