Sherni(शेरनी)

Nikita Chinamanthur

Sherni was a bit of a miss for me. Eeb Allay Ooo! (2019) set the tone for animal-related films (maybe besides Haathi Mere Saathi (1971) and Eega (2012)) in Indian cinema. Even though Masurkar directed Sulemani Keeda (2013) and Newton (2017), Sherni still fell a little flat in terms of performances, story, and the odd comedic inserts. Masurkar didn't write this film which shows. It seemed as though the Adivasi (read: indigenous) perspective was the most compelling in the film, yet those actors got the least amount of screen time. Balan's performance was satisfactory but nothing revelatory or exciting ⁠— to see Vidya Balan sing on screen, watch the Kahaani films, Dirty Picture, or even Bhool Bhulaiya. The same goes for the chameleon Kabi, who plays Balan's boss in the film; watch Sacred Games, Pataal Lok, Talvar, or Ship of Theseus instead.