Love and Shukla is a 2017 Indian drama film directed by Jatla Siddhartha. The film stars Saharsh Kumar Shukla as Shukla, a middle-class man who lives in a small town in India. Taneea Rajawat and Hima Singh also star in the film. The movie takes a glimpse into the lives of typical Indian middle-class people and their struggles in a conservative society.
The film follows Shukla, a naive, innocent man who is searching for love. He is an ordinary young HIndi boy from a small town in India. He lives with his parents and dreams of getting married to a beautiful girl. The movie is set in a small town in Northern India and follows Shukla's journey as he navigates through the conservative society of India while trying to find love.
Shukla is shown to be an introverted person who finds it difficult to express his emotions. He works in a bank, which is how he meets his colleague, Astha. Shukla falls in love with Astha and decides to propose to her the next time they meet. However, Astha rejects his proposal, telling him that she is already engaged to someone else.
Shukla's pursuit of love takes him to various places. He meets a prostitute, a local nurse, and even a foreigner visiting India, but none of these encounters lead to anything. He also tries his luck on a dating app, but without any success.
The movie does an excellent job of shedding light on the struggles of the middle class in India. It showcases how some people have to sacrifice their dreams and aspirations to support their families. Shukla's father, for instance, had to take up two jobs to support his family. This is not unusual in India, where the life of a person is shaped by family and societal expectations.
What stands out in Love and Shukla is how it portrays sexuality in India. The society shown in the movie is repressed and conservative, which leads people to suppress their sexuality. This is shown through the character of Shukla, who finds it difficult to have intimate relationships.
Director Jatla Siddhartha has done an excellent job of showcasing the society's double standard when it comes to sex. On the one hand, people in the movie are shown to be sexually repressed, while on the other hand, prostitution is openly practiced in the town.
The music in the film is noteworthy, and the score does an excellent job of complementing the story. The cinematography is also impressive, with a lot of care given to capturing the town's essence and its people.
The movie's ending is open-ended and leaves the viewer questioning Shukla's future. It is a courageous decision by the director not to give a clear ending, showing that life does not always flow according to our plans. The movie does an excellent job of showcasing that some things are beyond our control, and it is best to take life as it comes.
In conclusion, Love and Shukla is a poignant movie that offers a glimpse into the lives of people living in a small town in India. It tackles the struggles of the middle class and the society's repression when it comes to sex. The movie's pace is slow, and it requires patience, but it is worth a watch. The cast of the movie put in an impressive performance, and the movie's cinematography and music work well in translating the story to the screen.
Love and Shukla is a 2017 comedy with a runtime of 1 hour and 50 minutes.
It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.3.