Sir review: Tillotama Shome's restraint and poise shine in Rohena Gera's wonderful class romance

Trying to talk her boss out of his depression, Tillotama Shome's stoic Ratna says, "Life does not end, sir. It goes on." Albert Camus could not have said it better. The statement, and the constant attempt to keep pushing despite the circumstances, boundaries, and restrictions that the world throws at her, make Ratna a fiercely optimistic and lovable character. Just like Rohena Gera's Sir. 

The film is a nuanced, layered take on the sudden budding romance between Ashwin (Vivek Gomber) and his maidservant, Ratna (Tillotama Shome). Ashwin is a US-returned writer-architect struggling to get through the days after a cancelled wedding. He wraps himself up in work and solitude. A room apart, and a world away, is Ratna, his maidservant who goes about her work with the single-minded focus of a zen monk.

The two characters are wonderfully written and performed on screen. Vivek Gomber brings a laudable vulnerability and kindness that is hard to dislike. The actor has the unattractive part of a man who treats everyone fairly, without knowing that the world he lives in is unfair by default. Tillotama Shome's Ratna is the contrast. She is poised, graceful and always cognisant of her place in society. Even when she is treated kindly, she takes it with a pinch of salt.

Gera, a self-proclaimed romantic, allows the story to develop as hesitantly as the conversations between the characters. Everything from the little permissions to the apologies and finally the discovery of each other through their work is wonderfully structured. The screenplay moves at a deft pace, making the everyday occurrences seem novel. 

The dialogues add a touch of realism, garnished with style. A largely quiet film, the words are used to describe and outline the reality without laying it bare. Ratna's question, ''What will you tell your mother?", answered by a silence is enough to convey the drama.

A word for another wonderful performance by Geetanjali Kulkarni who is natural and ever-so-delightful as the friendly shoulder for Ratna. Her reality is a constant reminder to Ratna that despite the kindness of her master she remains a servant.

Gera's film is wonderfully shot as well, with the camera moving in a restrained manner which maintains the barrier between the classes of the characters. It often shifts into an over-the-shoulder shot to offer a perspective which has a very humbling effect.

The magic, though, lies in the performance of Tillotama Shome as Ratna. Despite her broken Marathi, the actress is enchanting. Her little tics of awkwardness, the ease with which she goes about her work, the poise and reactions to every moment — this is an actress at her peak. Her moments of vulnerability, countered by a dominant persistence to go on, learn and improve is definitive of her character. It is easy to fall in love with Ratna and sympathize with Ashwin. But that feeling is immediately tempered with a dose of reality — scenes of Ratna sitting on the floor eating, or sent to do another job by Ashwin's mother.

Rohena Gera's film is essentially a romantic drama, but it is layered with so many subtexts and class commentary that it becomes twice as effective. Of course, have we said that it is wonderfully acted? A word or two about that is necessary.

Rohena Gera's Sir was premiered at the 10th Jagran Film Festival in Mumbai on 26 September 2019.