Sthal

Development and pre-production

It marks the feature film debut of director Jayant Digambar Somalkar, who drew inspiration from his personal experiences.^[10] Encouraged by his wife, he chose to highlight the realities of arranged marriage after recalling his own experience within his family when he accompanied them to see a prospective bride for his cousin's marriage around 2014. Through Sthal, he aims to challenge the glamorized portrayal of weddings in mainstream media and advocate for a more nuanced perspective on the struggles faced by many Indian women.^[11] Somalkar wrote the story for the film in 2017, even before working on Guilty Minds (2022).^[12]

Casting and filming

The film features an entire cast of first-time actors from the village where it was shot.^[12] For the lead actress, extensive auditions were conducted in various colleges. Nandini Chikte auditioned on the very first day, confidently telling Somalkar that she could both dance and cry on cue. However, he remained undecided and told her he would get back to her. Determined to prove herself, Nandini auditioned again the following day, this time appearing more prepared, which ultimately convinced Somalkar to cast her in the role.^[13] Principal photography took place in the director's native village. Interestingly, the house where the film was shot is the very home where he was born, and the college attended by the protagonist, Savita, is the same one Somalkar studied at.^[14] The entire film was completed within 22 days in a single schedule.^[15][16] One of the biggest challenges during filming was using sync sound in a raw village setting, where locals were unfamiliar with the concept. Background noise was a constant issue, as daily village activities carried on uninterrupted. Additionally, the first-time actors, unfamiliar with a structured shooting schedule, would often leave the set to tend to their farms or water their buffaloes, making the filming process even more demanding.^[16]

Post-production

In 2024, when the film was screened at the Napa Valley Film Festival in the U.S., actor-director Sachin Pilgaonkar and his wife, actress Supriya Pilgaonkar, were urged to watch it by their daughter, Shriya Pilgaonkar, who had already seen and appreciated the film at the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.^[13][17] Impressed by its narrative and impact, they felt it deserved a wider audience and considered distributing the film for a theatrical release.^[18]

Critical response

Upon its release, Sthal received widespread praise from critics and audiences alike, including well-known personalities such as Avdhoot Gupte, Shriya Pilgaonkar, and Jaya Bachchan, who described it as "true cinema."^[26][27]

Mihir Bhanage from The Times of India gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, stating that it "effectively calls out the lip service that society does, without being preachy." He further wrote, "if you rave about the simplicity and impact of Malayalam films, questioning why Marathi cinema doesn’t make such films, you need to head to cinemas and watch 'Sthal'."^[28] Praising the film's bold approach, Santanu Das of Hindustan Times wrote, "Somalkar has created a bracingly defiant and powerful film, one that unleashes the broken discussion on arranged marriages in India with compassion and confidence."^[29] In her review for Scroll.in, Nandini Ramnath commended the performances, direction, and music, noting, "The movie is neither preachy nor heavy-going. It has honesty and compassion, a deep understanding of social structures, and a clear-eyed view of Savita’s situation."^[30] Describing it as the director's “scalding debut,” Outlook’s Debanjan Dhar wrote, "It keeps Savita’s roiling, seething spirit clamped down, all-enduring until the inevitable lashing point in its pummeling ending."^[31]

Reviewing the film for The Quint, Prateek Lidhoo lauded its storytelling and performances, stating, "With a story that tugs at your heartstrings, a pace that constantly reminds you of how layered our lives are, and a cast that gives its all to the film, Sthal stays with you."^[32] Reshma Raikwar, writing for Loksatta, described Sthal as an "important" film, emphasizing how "the audience remains hooked solely on the strength of its subject and the natural performances of the artists."^[33]

Similarly, Mid-Day's Meenakshi Shedde offered high praise for the screenplay, direction, and performances, calling it "a superb follow-up to Nagraj Manjule’s Sairat, which explores women’s agency in marriage and life."^[34] Anuj Kumar, writing for The Hindu, described it as "a sensitive exploration of organised social hypocrisy," adding, "Somalkar’s faith in untrained actors imparts the scenario a charming rawness and empathy to the characters. No one puts up an act."^[35] Aishwarya Srinivasan from Social Ketchup described the film as "brutally honest," remarking, "the film keeps you hooked from the first frame to the last with some really hard hitting facts."^[36]

Additionally, Tatsam Mukherjee of The Wire wrote, "Sthal is not the most novel story to emerge out of India, but Somalkar tells it in a measured way."^[37] A review from OTT Play observed, "Just like how details in this system are in the things left unsaid, Sthal too says a lot in its silence and absence."^[38] Baradwaj Rangan, in his review, compared the film to the critically acclaimed Malayalam film The Great Indian Kitchen and said, "Her violence against the collective is subtle, board melodramatic points about our society and reframes them from Savita’s point of view—that is the film’s success."^[39]

Accolades