Rating: na Company: Shree Chintamani Vision Producers: Lata Narvekar, Bharati Acharekar Director: Sanjay Surkar Story: Gautam Rajadhyaksha, Yogesh Khadikar Music: Ashok Patki Lyricst: Sudhir Moghe Cameraman: Harish Joshi Cast: Ashok Saraf, Sonali Kulkarni, Subodh Bhave, Usha Nadkarni, Raghavendra Kalkol, Pushkar Shotri, Lokesh Gupte, Santosh Juvekar, Jyoti Joshi, Kishor Mahabole… Movie Review by:  Nisha Garud

Far of from the usual storylines of commercial movies where two people meet, develop romantic love for each other and then live a happy life every after, Sanjay Surkar’s Sakhi is a movie which is unusual in all respects and aspects. It moves away from typical comedy forcibly included in movies to deviate the audience’s attention from a weak script and keep the movie going. Sakhi is a story of a relationship that develops between two strangers brought together by fate.

The two strangers, Suryakant Jagdale(Ashok Saraf) and Nishi ( Sonali Kulkarni ) find each other at a such a time in their life when both need support and a mentor to guide them. Suryakant, an accountant returns to his village Jatgaon, where he is born and brought up by his godmother Kunda Tai (Usha Nadkarni). He hides the fact from her and his friends that he is actually been fired from his job. He decides to spend his time by doing something for the villagers. But his all efforts end in vain. Restless, frustrated and tired, Suryakant contemplates on what is to be done next when he hears a woman’s cry for help.

Soaked in blood and badly bruised, he sees Nishi (Sonali Kulkarni) being chased by two men. He saves her and takes her to his house. Nishi narrates the tale of how she was married of by her brothers into a rich Inamdar family. She comes to know on her wedding night itself that her husband is not loyal to her. Her brother-in-law eyes her every time with bad intension and her mother -in-law turns a blind eye to all this and reminds her that she should actually be obliged to them for taking her into their family and not complain.
Sonali Kulkarni gives her best performance ever as a woman suppressed by the conditions, trying her best to adjust to her cursed fate. Unable to bear the brunt any longer, she runs away from the house. When is refused an entry into her brother’s house, she admits herself into a women’s ashram but there too she does not find solace. She escapes from the ashram only to be chased by two men and finally being saved by Suryakant.

Ashok Saraf gives a strong performance after a long time by playing a role of a mere understanding friend who strives to give a new meaning to his Sakhi’s life, a woman who needs support, care and security. A relationship which is beyond friendship develops between the two. Sonali’s voice gives her an advantage in playing out well her role of a tortured wife and of innocent village lass.

The movie drags too much with in the second half. The ego clashes shown between Subodh Bhave and Saraf are unnecessary. Some scenes are too obvious in the movie. The end of the movie is seems to have well thought about but was also dragged a lot. Though the movie loses its touch in the here and there, it is brought back by effective dialogues and strong performances by Saraf and Usha Nadkarni, who plays an understanding and supportive character. Certainly a bold subject to make a movie on but would have been effective if the script was more intense.