- Date of Release: 25 April 2025
- Genre: Comedy
- Language: Gujarati
- Watch On: Theatres Only
Auntypreneur
Introduction
The core idea of the new Gujarati film Auntypreneur can be established in an early scene wherein its protagonist Jaswanti (Supriya Pathak Kapur) refers to her ‘clan’ as characters from the film Lagaan (2001). Immediately, you realise that the gaze that the drama aspires to be looked upon is that of an underdog story featuring a group of misfits who go about their chores to achieve the end target. This is a very stereotypical template to boast of, and can easily enter a generic route in its quest towards the destination. Thankfully, what sets Auntypreneur apart is a lot of conviction in its filmmaking by Pratik Rajen Kothari, who doesn’t hold back despite the predictable beats in the screenplay. The first ace played by the makers include setting the story in the heart of Mumbai (Malad to be precise), an aspect that automatically adds freshness to an otherwise Gujarati film that is typically set in Gujarat. The urban setting also attributes a good sense of flavour to the proceedings that justifies its conflict – everyone is on the run, and no one really has time to pay attention to a BMC notice of demolition. The men of the society are either over-confident or ignorant or both, and to be fair, even the women (barring Jaswanti) are busy in lives of their own. The fast-paced beats of the city are directly proportional to the fast-paced lives of the characters, that plays a vital external conflict of the drama to begin with. And all of it landed with the creative decision of staging the drama in Mumbai.
Story & Screenplay
Written by Shreya Singh, one of the interesting aspects of Auntypreneur is with respect to the characterization of its protagonist Jaswanti. Typically, the trope would be an elderly woman ignored by her own children only to set up the context for a perfect underdog story. But you see very early on in the film that Jaswanti shares a very warm relationship with her son Bhavik (Ojas Rawal) who is settled in US while also wishing to bring his mother to stay with them. The conflict for Jaswanti is more internal – she wants her son and her daughter-in-law to enjoy life to the fullest without any responsibility, just as she had in her hay days. And that automatically is a contributing factor to her attachment that she has for the house that she lives in. Therefore, it hardly comes as a surprise that she remains the most concerned on getting to know about the demolition notice served by the BMC, only later on to take matter into her own hands.
The drama briefly falters with its tone that is on the higher side in its opening sequence. The sequence did not land smoothly just because the tone felt a little louder than worrying. But at the same time, the opening sequence does its job by preparing the viewers for an unforeseen event through a series of premonition that follows. There is a hint of Shakespeare in a different context and tone, but it definitely does enough to pull you into the drama despite its tonal indifference. And soon you realise that all the key ingredients are sprinkled in the narrative – you have the character of Raju (Parikshit Tamaliya) investing in stocks for a living, a group of women of different age demographics namely Sheetal (Brinda Trivedi), Neha (Heena Jaikishan), Krupa (Yukti Randeria), Suvarna (Vaibhavi Bhatt) and Panna (Kaushambi Bhatt) interacting with each other while acquainting the viewers of a potential friction between a few characters leading up to the BMC notice of demolition.
However in the midst of the characterization, there is a silent purpose tagged to the characters that makes them real even while incorporating the theme of women empowerment. Sheetal is shown to be a silent absorber of the domestic violence ensued by her husband, Krupa represents the Gen-Z who wants to make it in life contrary to her father who wants her married to any Tom, Dick Or Harry. A pregnant Neha is at the receiving end of corporate politics who treat pregnant women as secondary citizens, Suvarna and Panna are also subjected to loneliness resulting in opposing traits. The point being that there is thought and purpose given to every character to bring them into the central conflict, and be a key-contributing factor in a group of underdogs, or rather misfits (you take a pick).
The path of resolution remains broad-stroked and slightly far-fetched too with the idea of Jaswanti getting on the bandwagon of stock market in order to free her building of the loan. But three things that wonderfully work in favour remains the emotions in the drama, the contrasting theme involving the male characters trying for an alternate way of resolving the issue, and the drama settling into and sticking to the playful tone of the drama. There are a couple of beautifully constructed emotional scenes – one involving Raju and Jaswanti in the first hour that highlights the vulnerabilities and insecurities of Raju with regards to his past, and the other involving Jaswanti and her son Bhavik, wherein the former gives her perspective about wanting to live her life on her terms without being dependent. What these emotions do is cut through the frivolous setup and add a layer of purpose and weight to the drama. And I liked how the tone was controlled in each of the two scenes while knowing where to draw the line, something that was a huge plus. Also, the fact that the female characters were taking a more plausible step towards the resolution as compared to the males of the society, also took me away from the far-fetched nature of the drama (in a good way). The contrasting themes also generated generous bouts of humour along the way, something that was entertaining and enjoyable to witness.
One small demerit with the writing is that of predictability. This remains particularly true in the journey of Jaswanti in her bid to be an Auntypreneur through the world of stocks. Everything feels simplistic and convenient with threats never looming beyond its conventional setting. The idea of winning a competition of entrepreneurs to opting to invest in specific stocks (most of which work), needed a strong suspension of disbelief to completely invest in the proceedings. Yet, the ambience created is so strong (thanks to the committed filmmaking) that I wasn’t as distracted in the moment of watching the proceedings. It remains breezy and palpable with emotions. The staging was a little inferior right at the end wherein I did feel a sense of lethargy with the setting, something that didn’t particularly give me a high while stepping away from the film, but the screenplay does work well overall with all the emotions and humour in store.
Dialogues, Music & Direction
The dialogues by Abhinav Vaidya are punchy and definitely leave a mark. There is a considerable balance in the tonality of the lines while frequently oscillating between comedy on one side to palpable emotions on the other, and it does ensure that you are entertained throughout. The music and BGM by Mihir Makwana remain decent while ensuring that the impact of the scenes is maintained throughout the course of the drama. The songs also don’t really stall the proceedings, something that was a win in my books. The cinematography by Vaishakh Manoharan comprises of frames that have a sense of vibrancy with its lighting. It is almost representative of hope for its characters who find themselves in the middle of a conflict. And this theme nicely blends with the tone of the drama too. The editing by Harsh Anandani is good but it doesn’t account for a few lags in the second hour that make the film moderately repetitive. Director Pratik Rajen Kothari needs to be applauded given that his filmmaking exudes of conviction that papers over the cracks in the screenplay. The ambience that he caters to is filled with warmth, something that automatically pulls you and grounds you with the narrative. Yes, the tonal inconsistencies were there at the start with an issue with the staging right at the end, but the amount of emotions that Pratik brings to the table is commendable. The twin emotional scenes has got to be one of the highlights of the film that land beautifully and hit the sweet spot. The direction remains committed while assuring that the narrative remains firm.
Performances
The performances are wonderful by the members of the cast. Kaajal Ozha Vaidya playing herself adds a lot of charisma to the proceedings. Margi Desai as Manda is hilarious and affable to the core. Archan Trivedi is given a proper character arc, and he is hilarious to the core while performing partly with a poker face and partly stepping into the slapstick zone. Ojas Rawal as Bhavik is sincere and earnest, and he does manage to shine in a heartwarming yet firm character. Pratik Nanda as Neha’s husband has his moments to shine too. Kaushambi Bhatt as Panna and Vaibhavi Bhatt as Suvarna are such seasoned performers, and they deliver well measured performances filled with banter, laughter and emotions. Heena Jaikishan as Neha has a towering presence and she manages to tickle your funny bone at a few junctures while doing a stellar job. Yukti Randeria as Krupa has a vibrant energy that adds freshness to the proceedings while managing to impress. Brinda Trivedi as Sheetal was a layered character who had to put up with her abusive husband’s behavior. This, while keeping it discreet to the world with her demeanor. And here, she uses her expressions and body language to full effect in conveying the same in a wonderful little act. Parikshit Tamaliya is phenomenal to witness here. There are so many emotions brimming beneath the surface as far as his character is concerned, and he leaves a huge impression in tapping into this emotional core of his character. His performance in a scene with Jaswanti will melt your heart.
Supriya Pathak Kapur is an actor who needs to be studied and savoured. There are so many contrasting shades of Jaswanti that builds the character. At times, even the tone remains on the higher side. But taking all that into consideration, and then delivering a heartfelt performance with a joyous facade is no mean feat! She is absolutely in terms with her character, knowing when to pull the leash and when to let it go. She uses her body language and such expressive eyes to such good effect, making you silently root for her character or even cheering for her at crucial moments in the drama. She delivers a brilliant performance that melts your heart and fills you up with a lot of emotions by the end of it.
Conclusion
Auntypreneur is a humourous and heartfelt tale driven by conviction and warmth that makes for an enjoyable watch which is filled with emotions. Available in a theatre near you.
