With a stellar cast that includes the likes of Manoj Bajpayee, Anupam Kher, Rajkummar Rao, Richa Chadda, Riya Sisodiya, Freida Pinto, Adil Hussain, Sai Tamhankar and Demi Moore, among others, Love Sonia becomes an intriguing and promising watch.
Mrunal Thakur, in her debut role, plays the title role of Sonia, who gets entangled in the vicious web of global sex trade, in an attempt to search for her sister Preeti, earlier sold off by their father. The search takes Sonia from her village to Mumbai, before she is shipped off to Los Angeles. Even as she gets deeper into the network, her resolve to rescue her sister grows stronger. In a letter to her sister, she says, "Kuch bhi ho jaye Preeti, kaise bhi tumhe dhoond ke nikaloongi [What ever happens Preeti, I will somehow find you]. Love, Sonia."
All the characters feel realistic and the cast seems to have dug their teeth into their respective parts. The portrayal of the sex trade network also looks authentic. The film is inspired from true events and the treatment definitely attempts to capture the reality. The music by Niels Bye Nielsen feels a bit too intense and even overbearing at times in the hard-hitting 2.42-minute trailer.
Here's hoping that the background score in the film does not overpower the story-telling since the screenplay of a subject like this organically lends itself to intensity in any case. Here's also hoping that the makers do not sacrifice unnecessary drama.
Directed by Tabrez Noorani and produced by David Womark [the two met while working on Ang Lee's Life Of Pi (2012)], Love Sonia is slated to hit Indian theatres on 14 September.
Watch Love Sonia trailer below: