Netflix almost had it with Choked

I have always been quite unhappy with Netflix Indian originals. With the exception of Sacred Games season 1, they seem no different than what we were already producing. However, with Choked, Netflix almost impressed me.

Choked, directed by Anurag Kashyap, has demonetisation as its backdrop. The middle-class family drama, which intertwines with politics, is good but not great. This suspense drama is something new in Anurag’s filmography. The first time I saw the kitchen pipe choking out drain water, I almost wanted to assume that it is blood. But, of course, it wasn’t.

The film set in Mumbai shows the life of Sarita – who works at a bank but wanted to be a singer – and her husband, Sushant – who wants to be a musician but hardly does any work, and neither does he help in maintaining the house. His laziness is such that we can see his son complaining that he does more work than his father.

Now, if you have watched the trailer, you know that along with the drain water, Sarita’s kitchen is also choking money. And you also know that Modi is soon going to demonetise the 500 and 1000 rupee notes. The film is handled exceptionally well until Modi announces the demonetisation. We, as an audience, knew that the currency was soon going to be demonetised. Whereas, Sarita didn’t know. This moment happens nearly after an hour. The film is almost flawless until this point. The emotions of these characters are well choreographed. It neatly portrays the middle-class life in Mumbai. The small houses, the same work, arguments over money and the involvement of neighbours in each others' lives.

After that point, while attempting to give more attention to the political aspect, the film suddenly stops flowing like it used to. You can notice a few hiccups in writing. It felt like they were trying to get through those parts as quickly as possible and failed at it. But it does fall back into its place later. Anurag Kashyap, in an interview, had mentioned that they had to change the script after learning the impact of demonetisation. Maybe, the change could have disrupted the flow.

Other than those twenty-odd minutes, the film did work out for me. The cinematography and the acting do not call for too much attention. Meaning, both have done justice to the film. However, despite its share of flaws, Choked, is one of the finest Netflix original produced in India. It could have been one of the best but it isn’t.