Welcome Home is a 2020 Indian Hindi-language crime drama thriller film inspired by a real-life incident in Nagpur, Maharashtra.[citation needed] It stars Kashmira Irani, Swarda Thigale, Boloram Das, Shashi Bhushan, and Tina Bhatia.[1] The film was written by Ankita Narang and directed by Pushkar Mahabal. The music was composed by Meghdeep Bose, with cinematography by Saee Bhope, and editing by Pushkar Mahabal.[1] Produced by veteran actor Paresh Rawal and his wife and actor Swaroop Rawal, Welcome Home premiered on SonyLIV in 2020.[2] As of May 2024, the film is no longer available on SonyLIV for unknown reasons.
Welcome Home | |
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Directed by | Pushkar Mahabal |
Written by | Ankita Narang |
Based on | a true event in Maharashtra |
Produced by | Paresh Rawal Swaroop Rawal |
Starring | Kashmira Irani Swarda Thigale Boloram Das Shashi Bhushan Tina Bhatia |
Cinematography | Saee Bhope |
Edited by | Pushkar Mahabal |
Music by | Meghdeep Bose |
Distributed by | SonyLIV |
Release date |
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Running time | 125 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Plot
editThe plot revolves around two young women, Anuja (Kashmira Irani) and Neha (Swarda Thigale), who are high school teachers and have been tasked to collect population data for the census. On their way to collect the data, they come across a deserted house where a pregnant woman named(Tina Bhatia) welcomes them. When asked about the people who reside there, Prerna answers that there are four people in the house; Prerna, her grandmother, an old guy, and Bhola(the cook). One of the women points towards her baby bump and asks her if it the expectant child is her first. Prerna replies by saying no, and says that after being born, all the kids cry for some time before hopelessly dying. Although skeptical, the two women leave. And because one of the women sensed something was wrong and Prerna was in danger, they decide to go back; but this time there is heavy rain, so they take shelter in her house for the night. At night, one of the women sees the old guy going to a small shed from the window. In the meantime, Bhola hears them talking on the phone about how no one knows where they are. Bhola is seen then asking the old guy whom he calls "bhayya" (although the relation is not specified). The two women try to escape the night. They check the hut and see a bloodied man chained. They realize they don't have their phones and hence, go back to the house. The next day they leave but before they can get out, the "grandmother" is seen asking the old guy if he's letting them go, to which he nods his head after which she informs him that they went out the previous night. The women are taken hostage by the old man. They get trapped in his basement assaulted, struggle to survive, attempt to escape but brutally beaten and poured hot water upon then successfully escape through a tunnel and eventually split up. one of the women's brother comes to search them but he gets his head bashed in. It is revealed that the old man is Prerna's dad, and Prerna has been manipulated and abused by them. She has been manipulated into being obedient and getting sexually assaulted by her dad, and all the kids have been a result of it. The old guy then kills the newborns (and somehow the grandmother is alright with this).
The film shows how those women struggle to escape from the house, during which one of the women's brother comes searching for her and gets his head bashed in. The bloodied guy -who had gone to their house after hearing a baby's cry - in the hut also gets killed. One of the women manages to escape and kills Bhola and the other one gets help from Prerna. The two women manage to escape with heavy injuries but they go back and kill the old man and the grandmother. The film ends and a message is shown on the screen. In the 20 years that they have lived in the house, Prerna has eight kids, and seven of them were killed by the old man and one of them is still unborn. The old man and Bhola have killed more than 13 people, and Bhola has assaulted nine of them. Their first victim was Savitri, Prerna's mother. [3]
Cast
edit- Shashi Bhushan as Prerna's Dad
- Kashmira Irani as Anuja
- Swarda Thigale as Neha
- Tina Bhatia as Prerna
- Boloram Das as Bhola
Reception
editCritical response
editThe film received mostly positive reviews from critics, with praise for the performances and writing. Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in wrote "In the SonyLIV film Welcome Home, Boloram Das is far more effective and terrifying as a man who promises to perform horrible deeds and goes right ahead. Welcome Home has other strong performances too, especially by its female leads, who movingly bring out the film’s themes of imprisonment and liberation."[4]
Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express said "Welcome Home might seem like a gritty chamber drama, but it is also an affecting commentary on patriarchy."[1]
Devasheesh Pandey from News 18 gave the film 2.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Welcome Home is not just another movie but carries gracefully a narrative that seeks transformation and liberation from victimhood, which as Anuja points out, does not rest upon gender, but can happen with anyone."[5]
Pallabi Dey Purkayastha of The Times of India gave 3.5 stars out of 5 and wrote "Welcome Home’ gives hope: hope that every time a leach elbows a naïve-looking girl, she will fight back. Hope that every time a wife, mother or daughter is assaulted or murdered, the women would fight back and seek justice."[2]
A reviewer for Spotboye praising the writing and performance of the cast, said "The story, written by Ankita Narang is gripping and it is a sincere effort to throw light on the hideous crimes of child abuse and sexual assault in our society. The editing is a bit jumpy towards the end and there are a few loose ends too but if we see the overall picture, that can be ignored, as the film keeps you on the edge and you want to know what's gonna happen next."[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c "'Welcome Home' review: A solid chamber drama and an affecting commentary on patriarchy". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ a b Welcome Home Review: Irani and Thigle showcase their acting prowess in this riveting crime thriller, retrieved 25 January 2023
- ^ a b "Welcome Home Movie Review: A Gripping Way To Bring Forward The Issue Of Child Abuse And Sexual Assault | SpotboyE". www.spotboye.com. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ Ramnath, Nandini. "'Welcome Home' review: Two census takers ring the wrong doorbell". Scroll.in. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Welcome Home Movie Review: Payback Bites Back and Hard in This Thriller". News18. 7 November 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
External links
edit- Welcome Home at IMDb