Ribbon movie review: A film so real, it can be your story

Ribbon
Director: Rakhee Sandilya
Cast: Kalki Koechlin, Sumeet Vyas
Rating: 2.5/5

It is refreshing to see a Hindi film that showcases a couple, not just after marriage, but once they become parents. Kalki Koechlin-Sumeet Vyas-starrer Ribbon is realistic to the core, highlights some important issues in our society, and yet, refrains from being preachy.

Ribbon is about an urban, young couple — Sahana and Karan — who face sudden joys, challenges and misfortunes in life. The story traces how the couple copes with it all and what toll it takes on their relationship.

The film opens with Sahana (Kalki Koechlin), a corporate strategist, realising she is pregnant. She goes all berserk, telling her husband that she is not yet ready for the responsibility. The husband, Karan (Sumeet Vyas), manages to convince her after some fights and discussions. The new parents then take us through the not-so-beautiful challenges of parenthood — from changing nappies to hiring nannies and more. The unending fights and undecided debates only bring home the genuineness of the narrative.

Ribbon showcases a non-filmy and real-life urban couple in love, living together. A couple that does not need candle light dinners to ignite romance as they are busy meeting deadlines at work and ensuring all EMIs are paid on time.

The best part is that we are given a very realistic view — there are no biased viewpoints that take us through the story. The audience is free whether they want to judge the characters, choose a side, or simply absorb the harsh realities of life, as shown in the film. Ribbon turns the audience into a fly on the wall for a clear insider’s view.

Kalki is quite comfortable in her role and comes across as the perfect choice. Sumeet, of Permanent Roommates fame, leaves behind the charm of Mikesh (his character in the popular web series) and adopts a completely different mantle for Ribbon. It is not surprising that most of the dialogues were actually improvised on the sets and the pre-written ones were not used. Kalki and Sumeet imbibed their characters, as is evident from their convincing performance.

Things take a murkier turn when Sahana is not only humiliated but also ‘demoted’ at work — a very authentic view of the gender discrimination prevalent in most work places.

The film also touches upon issues like sexual assault, the way we treat and stereotype victims, women, girls, family, and even men. However, addressing these issues is where Ribbon disappoints.

Ribbon rakes up a lot of issues that deserve at least a discourse in the current scenario, but instead, ends up only fleetingly touching these. Neither the characters nor the narrative take upon the evils and the evil-doers.

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