Choked is the not the typical political satire that you expect from Anurag Kashyap although politics runs through its every frame

Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai, a Netflix original film is not the typical political satire that you might have expected from a filmmaker like Anurag Kashyap. Yet politics runs through every frame of the film. After all the story of the film which is about the struggles of a young middle-class Marathi family is set around the time when Demonetisation happened in 2016.

When Kashyap, whose political beliefs often find expression in the public domain either through his works or social media, chooses such a topic it is not very difficult to guess what his personal take on Demonetisation could be. It is something which plays on the back of your mind even as you first discover Sarita Sahashrabudhe, who is the protagonist of the film.

Played by Saiyami Kher the character of Sarita is someone who is caught between the daily trappings of a job as a bank teller and a wife to an unemployed musician. She is also the mother of a young boy. As if the burden of running the expenses of the family is not enough; she must also deal with shady persons like Reddy ( Upendra Limaye) whom her husband Sushant owes money. But one night everything seems poised to change forever when packets filled with bundles of Indian rupee notes start leaking from her kitchen sink. It is indeed a Godsend from the above. But Sarita’s joy soon turns into worry as Demonetisation is announced by Prime Minister Modi.

There is a particular sequence in the film when the residents of the colony in which Sarita lives break into an impromptu dance to celebrate Demonetisation. The male lead of the film Sushant played by Roshan Mathew also joins the party believing that the move will put an end to corruption and the corrupt will finally pay a heavy price. It has the signature style of Kashyap as shots of people standing in queues outside banks are interspersed with one in which Prime Minister Modi is seen beating drums with Sivamani . It is indeed the dance of democracy. There is another instance when a television reporter is heard saying, “ Mushroom khaiye aur Modi ban jaiye” .

A lot of the credit must be given to Nihit Bhave, who is the writer of Choked for brilliant use of metaphors that underscore the political angle of the story like the pipeline through which illegal money has been flowing freely until a stroke of luck channelizes a lot of this cash into the kitchen of Sarita. The aim of Demonetisation was to strike at the root of black money. But did it serve the purpose? Someone like Reddy does not get into such details and has his own unique take. He sees Demonetisation as an opportunity which comes only once in 40 years. He is definitely not someone who is going to stand in queues in front of banks for exchanging old demonetised notes.

Sushant on the other hand is an unpredictable character. He prefers whiling away his time playing carom with his friends and does very little when it comes to helping Sarita with the household chores. Yet he is convinced of the ‘magic of Modi’ who he thinks has sacrificed a lot for serving the country. But all Sarita wants from Sushant is that he must start earning. She has a lot more to worry as she has suddenly become the most important member of her resident colony courtesy Demonetisation. Everyone approaches her with the request to help them get their old demonetised notes exchanged. Among them is Sharvari Tai whose daughter’s wedding is fast approaching and she is at a loss on how she will pay the bills.

Amruta Subhash who plays the role of Tai brings in a lot of eccentricities in the mannerisms of the character. In one particular scene she is left gasping for breath when she runs to her neighbour Sarita’s house on learning about Demonetisation on television. Joshi pulls off this one with élan. Tai finds it hard to deal with the news herself even as she breaks the news to them. She has all the worldly problems centring her daughter’s marriage which have been further complicated because of the sudden assault on 500 and 1000 rupee notes. But hardly anybody listens to her rants and she ends up making a mockery of herself.

All this while the conflict in Sarita’s life refuses to die down although she has started to buy her middle-class aspirations with her new found fortune. There is small talk going on in the colony about the troubles in her marriage and also how Sarita may have wavered from the path of righteousness. Kher is simply brilliant in every frame. Matthew delivers a very measured performance. Sushant is someone whom you may dislike at first look but you realise his true self only when you have spent some time with him.

Kashyap has depicted the ethos, struggles, politics and the milieu of the Marathi middle class society in the film. He himself has grown up in such a surrounding. It shows glimpses of how a particular group of people was impacted by Demonetisation. However he never takes a confrontational approach in the narrative style to present a critique of the move. Yet he says everything without saying anything. It is an approach which you can find in his more recent films.

But Choked fails to live up to its expectations simply because the story never reaches the level that it promises. It is touted to be a thriller yet it falls flat when it comes to the plot. Being someone who has directed films like Black Friday and co-written Satya you expect Kashyap to weave a gripping tale from the happenings of Demonetisation Instead when the film ends you are left with the felling that it could be so much more.

It is a film which could have changed the way films with political undertones are made in India. As a matter of fact not many political thrillers get made in this part of the world. Being the largest democracy of the world which also boasts of a rich tradition of filmmaking it is indeed a pity.