WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
It is NEVER too late to seek love, find love, give love, and accept love from another. There is a fulfillment that resonates within this most sought after of emotional ties, a gratification that goes, ideally, so far beyond the surface and affects us down to our core, our heart, our soul. To truly find this is to be blessed and filled with a joy only it can bring. What happens, though, when the love being spoken of is one that is STILL so many times only whispered about, even remaining hidden to those we value most? Middle-aged working-class women Renuka (Sushama Deshpande) and Sadiya (Anju Alva Naik) have such a connection and are currently planning to celebrate Renuka’s upcoming birthday together. But, when Renuka’s son Mangesh (Suhas Sirsat) inadvertently discovers his mother’s secret, will it change the way he sees her, how she faces him, or how all three of them will need to choose to move forward?
Next, my Mind:
Best laid plans, the longing to simply live, the desire for acceptance, the beauty of human connection, the possible consequence of secrets, and the fortitude to face it all in the name of love find their place to shine forth through this affecting, necessary, and unequivocally relevant short film effort from writer/director/co-producer Arun Fulara, writers Shreyas Chougule and Pratik Kinnarimath, producers Neeraj Churi, Saagar Gupta, and Sridhar Rangayan, co-producer Andreas Lucas, and executive producer Christoph Thoke. Screened in advance of having its Texas Premier at the 2022 DFW SAFF sponsored by Toyota USA and hosted by Jingo Media Founder/Festival Director Jitin Hingorani and Artistic Director Ambica Dev as an offering included within the LGBTQ Programming this year, the uncomplicated, straightforward filmmaking prowess that so often defines indie cinema is illustrated here with understated but no less potent purpose that becomes yet again transcends its cornerstone concept and makes a subject I tend to shy away from fully accessible.
Along those initial lines, anyone who might be of a more mature age that has experienced, perhaps, extended singleness with its still-present longing for the tenderness of companionship will especially be able to relate to this touching narrative that follows two working-class women who’ve found each other and the ensuing reveal of their relationship to one’s son who randomly spots them together much to his shock. But even before and after this particular moment of discovery, there is the thematic viewpoints of both the joys of what we know and treasure vs. the lies we can end up telling even those closest to us when it comes to being a part of something still considered taboo, shameful, or dishonoring. The fact it is not out of a sense of guilt, though, but rather just wanting to HAVE a life of our own, free of others telling us what to do or how to behave or what’s proper or not, is effectively showcased here between one of the women and her aforementioned son who’s the one coming “late” to the party despite having already witnessed her hidden truth.
It presents a solid study in unspoken adoration, innocent playfulness, the gentleness of touch that radiates with the depth of bonds between the two women that then turns into perspectives on the ripple effect of confrontation via a distraught attitude, confusion, and anger on the part of her son when he finally presses the issue with his mother, accompanied by the all-too-familiar harried concerns about how it will affect the family, a bad example being set, and just . However, at this juncture, how the film chooses to then paint a portrait of a woman standing up firmly, with unwavering conviction, for what she believes in and wants to pursue is filled with an empowering message that really begets a particularly inspirational moment of cathartic satisfaction in us as a viewer, now truly sympathizing with her plight, and understanding once more that the unadulterated strength of love is one that will not be snuffed out. I will say that the film’s finale is a very, very interesting one that you have to witness in order to understand the thought-provoking conjecture it elicits.
Deshpande and Naik work so deftly and believably together in their respective roles here as Renuka and Sadiya, two middle-aged women who are finding themselves and their relationship at a certain degree of gaining momentum yet also possesses a level of minor hesitation. But, with Renuka’s more light-hearted, unconcerned, innocently frisky demeanor vs. Sadiya’s slightly more reserved and serious manner in play, it’s only a matter of time before Renuka is convincing her paramour to skip work and come celebrate with her. It then is much more evident how profoundly intense the two women’s feelings are towards each other and when that is threatened, it is Renuka who stands up to her own son to defend that which she wants while also proclaiming the basic desire for freedom to just live by her own choices. Watching the two women interact is sometimes humorous, sometimes dramatic, and sometimes purely stirring, with Deshpande and Naik so wonderfully displaying a chemistry that befits their characters to a “T”.
Sirsat likewise excels through understated intensity as Renuka’s son Mangesh, a traditional man who ends up getting the surprise of finding out a secret his mother has been keeping. Even as he navigates the tricky waters of how to approach her while also just attempting to learn more about what’s going on on his own to further prove his perceived concerns about the situation, we almost know the eventual discussion (or argument) that will occur will reshape he and his mother’s relationship forever. How Mangesh travels through this highly volatile circumstance is well enacted by Sirsat, who also lends full realism to the role and maintains the necessary sense of bubbling emotional turmoil without overacting or underselling it, a credit to Sirsat’s acting.
So, in total, “My Mother’s Girlfriend” finds its way by conveying the ideas of how much we as human beings just wish to BE seen, accepted, appreciated and treasured as who we are, regardless of age or gender, while still allowing its LGBTQ focus to remain intact without being overbearing. As stated above in several ways, it’s a story of the joy genuine love brings, the allure, the healing, the ecstasy it exhibits but also the fragility of it and how we must always be willing to guard it even if others don’t fully comprehend it. We do have our own individual lives to lead, and part of this amazing existence is to have the freedom to choose to do just that.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
