Love Sonia movie review: Brilliant ensemble cast shines in extremely disturbing film to watch

Tabrez Noorani's directoria debut Love Sonia releases in theatres on September 14. This A-rated film is an extremely difficult watch because of the reality it depicts. It is not easy to sit through Love Sonia, a film that reminds you of award-winning movies like Mira Nair's Salaam! Bombay (1988), Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire (2008), and the National Film Award-winning Marathi film Doghi (1995) that is similar in storyline. When you do sit through Love Sonia, you are happy that the film shows some hope in the girls who are rescued from sex trafficking.

Sadly, the reality is something else. As the end credits of Love Sonia itself inform, less than 1% (one percent) of these young girls are rescued from the flesh trade. Reality bites. Let's see what Love Sonia the film is like.

Television actress Mrunal Thakur makes her film debut with Love Sonia. Mrunal is very impressive as Sonia, the 17-year-old who goes to the city in search of her sister Preeti (Riya Sisodia, also making her debut), and both become victims of the flesh trade. (Mrunal will now star with Hrithik Roshan in the movie Super 30.)

Apart from Mrunal and Riya who are newcomers, Love Sonia features a rich ensemble cast with names like Richa Chadha, Freida Pinto, Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao, Adil Hussain, Anupam Kher, Saie Tamhankar, Demi Moore, Mark Duplass, and little Sunny Pawar who was seen in the Oscar-nominated Lion (2016).

Story of Love Sonia

Sonia (Mrunal Thakur) and her elder sister Preeti (Riya Sisodia) are normal, happy-go-lucky young girls who lend their father Shiva (Adil Hussain) and mother (Kiran Khoje) a helping hand in the fields in their village. A drought has made yield difficult and his poor financial circumstances make the farmer decide to sell off his daughter Preeti to his creditor Dada Thakur (a merciless man played by Anupam Kher). The village pimp Anjali (Saie Tamhankar) introduces Preeti to the flesh trade in Mumbai's red-light district.

Not able to take separation from her sister, an innocent Sonia approaches Dada Thakur to take her to Preeti. She is unaware what fate her sister has met. Sonia runs away with Anjali, and in one scene is about to be rescued by a hotel manager (Ankur Vikal) but ends up trusting Anjali more. Only to realise her naivete when Anjali takes her to a brothel in Mumbai owned by smooth-talking but sinister Faizal (Manoj Bajpayee) who is forever in search of 'virgins' for his clients.

Sonia meets Rashmi (Freida Pinto) and Madhuri (Richa Chadha) here. Faizal and these two seasoned sex workers trick Sonia into believing that they will take her to meet Preeti if she agrees to service their customers with oral sex. Handcuffed, put in a 'jail' in the brothel with a snake, Sonia has no option but to say yes. This is just the beginning of what poor Sonia is about to endure. It is too shocking to watch as viewers, so just imagine the fate of these girls.

When Sonia does finally get to meet her sister Preeti, she rebukes her (on purpose). A crying Sonia has to undergo another ordeal that night.

A social worker named Manish (Rajkummar Rao) posing as a customer is the only hope for Sonia and Asha, another minor like her. A police raid means these girls are pushed into small hidden cubicles where they have to crawl. Asha is rescued in the raid, so also Preeti, but not Sonia.

As the story moves from the dark dungeons of Mumbai to the sex trade of Hong Kong in China, shocking truths emerge in how young girls are operated upon to make them look like virgins again - to transport them illegally to Hollywood, Los Angeles in the US.

But there is hope. The rest of the film shows how Sonia manages to escape and is taken care of by Selma (Demi Moore) and her not-for-profit organisation. Will she be able to come back to her country and lead a normal life? Will she meet Preeti again, still her only aim in life? Will she meet her school crush Amar (Abhishek Bharate) again?

Most importantly, how does Sonia keep her hope alive despite going through so much at such a young age? It is just her love for her sister and her belief that all will be well one day. But it is kind of difficult to imagine a naive village girl who is able to have that resolve and courage. Girls like Sonia are rare and wherever they do exist, they may have been drugged and beaten to break their resolve and continue in the sex trade. Therefore, this film based on real-life incidents is one showcasing real courage.

Performances in Love Sonia

Sometimes the performances in Love Sonia may seem devoid of emotion or depth, or dry, but that's really their cold and harsh life the director is trying to portray.

Mrunal Thakur comes across as a seasoned performer in front of her brilliant co-actors. She could have emoted a little more through her eyes, but then Love Sonia is not a film about predictable acting. It is as normal as people will be in real life.

Freida Pinto is a revelation as Rashmi. After starring in so many Hollywood as well as crossover movies post her success in Slumdog Millionaire, it is Love Sonia that Freida Pinto will be remembered for a long time. She has jumped at the chance to essay such a character and has worked on her mannerisms. She has some of the best lines, too.

Manoj Bajpayee is known to shine in every role he takes up. He doesn't disappoint in Love Sonia either and thankfully doesn't ham.

Richa Chadha is a class act as Madhuri, the prostitute who happens to be with Sonia till the end. She showcases brutality and compassion both with equal ease, dealing with her own pain.

Sunny Pawar, the child artiste has a scene where Sonia approaches him to help find the policewallah, when he is selling fruit. He asks her where she stays and, sensing something is amiss, he laughs and runs behind her, saying she does the job of 'Thoka-thoki' (sex worker). Seeing the child making the dirty gesture with his hands, makes one cringe and think of the loss of innocence of little kids living near red-light districts or unsafe areas. (Strangely his Love Sonia character on imdb.com has also been listed as 'Bang Bang'.) One does encounter such street children in Mumbai and Sunny Pawar does a good job of depicting an underprivileged child like that.

Riya Sisodia as the elder sister Sonia is in search of has delivered a decent act for a newcomer.

Anupam Kher, Rajkummar Rao, Saie Tamhankar, Adil Hussain, Ankur Vikal and Kiran Khoje bring their expertise to the proceedings, but the same can't really be said about Hollywood actors Demi Moore and Mark Duplass who are good but not great in their cameos.

Direction and Treatment of Love Sonia

Tabrez Noorani has been a line producer on Slumdog Millionaire and its influence shows a little bit in Love Sonia. But the director has really tried showing a heartfelt and honest tale of Sonia through the film that actually does the job of showing the world of child trafficking that we never think about.

Love Sonia can get a bit dreary towards the end and may not have 'entertainment' value, because it is not a film for that. There has been no attempt to make the film dramatic or even really filmic with item songs or specific cinematic shots that are common in realistic films. It is simply stating it like it is. The style in Love Sonia is really like the voyeur. Idhar aisa hota hai - whether you believe it or turn a blind eye towards it.

Some may find similarities in the storytelling to that of director Madhur Bhandarkar, who has made films like Chandni Bar, Page 3, Corporate, Calendar Girls and Traffic, to name a few, depicting the world of these professions in a journalistic, documentary format. It may also remind you of some episodes of Crime Patrol on television. But Love Sonia is far more honest and brutal.

Cinematography by Lukasz Bielan lends to the voyeur eye, and Martin Singer's editing keeps the interest in the film going. Our maestro A R Rahman's background score stands out so does Resul Pookutty's sound design.

Verdict: Love Sonia is certainly not for the fainthearted. Please don't go to watch it if you think of it as just another 'depressing' film. It is not depressing but is moving. And yes, it is a serious film with some light moments, but about a very serious subject. If you simply want entertainment this weekend, please go watch Manmarziyaan.

Rating: 4 stars.