Chhorii – Horror Blended with Deep Social Message

Chhorii, the latest Amazon Prime release is a remake of Marathi film Lapachhapi directed by Vishal Furia who directed the original one as well. With Nusrat Bharucha as lead, Chhorii not only spooks you with paranormal horror but tries to show dark face of patriarchy deep-rooted in our society which is much scarier.

Plot –

Sakshi (Nusrat Bharucha), who is 8 months pregnant has to escape from the city with her husband Hemant (Sourabh Goyal) as the latter is unable to pay his debts and the lenders are after them.

They move to their driver’s village, and stay at his lonely house in middle of cane farms, where driver’s wife Bhanno (Mita Vashist) comforts her and agrees to take care of her and the unborn.

As soon as Hemant leaves back to city for arranging funds, Sakshi starts having paranormal experiences and she starts to see dead people. Bhanno asks her to avoid it but soon Sakshi realises there is more than what meets the eyes.

Along with these experiences, Sakshi understands that Bhanno also has a secret that she is hiding and same is the case with all the figures she keeps on seeing.

How admist all this Sakshi maintains her sanity, tries to escape, protects her unborn baby and uncovers the mystery is all that Chhorii is all about.

What Works –

Chhorii, blends horror seamlessly with the social issue of killing of girl child and patriarchy and tries to give a loud message. The movie takes it time to unfold and setup the premise but once that is setup it hooks the audiences.

It does not totally rely on the horror factor or jump scares but there is a constant tension which is a must for a movie of this genre. The locations, Sakshi’s failed attempts to escape are all very well captured and compliment the mood.

With a good background score at his disposal, the director ensures that he doesn’t let his film deviate too much from the main point and that is the films biggest strength.

What Doesn’t Work –

Chhorii, with a runtime of 129 minutes could have been much gripping if it was at least 20 min shorter.

Film takes so much of time to come to the point that after a point it becomes pretty repetitive. Also, film tends to get preachy near the climax, where a subtle message would have been much more impactful.

Performances –

Chhorii has Nusrat Bharucha as its axis and film revolving around her, she does justice to show the plight and horror of a pregnant woman who is striving hard to save her unborn. After Pyar Ka Punchnama and Sonu ke Titu ki Sweety this comes as a welcome change for her.

Mita Vashist is too good as Bhanno and showcases why she is such an accomplished actress. She shifts her character from positive to negative effortlessly and it’s a treat to watch. Saurabh Goyal is strictly average as Hemant and rest all cast lends the expected support.

FFC Verdict –

Chhorii which by the look of it seems to be a horror survival drama, but it has its layers and it gets you to some of the harsh realities of society which still exist. It highlights the story of a village where girl child is killed as their birth is considered as a bad omen.

Chhorii might not scare you with it ghosts but will make you uncomfortable with the dark realities of our society and that is the film’s USP. If you are bored with run of mill horror movies and like movies with a message, you can certainly give it a try.