Short Film: Suttabaazi

Cast: Renee Sen, Rahul Vohra and Komal Chhabria

Director: Kabeer Khurana

Duration: 13 minutes 38 seconds

Rating: 2.5 Moons

Sushmita Sen’s elder daughter Renee Sen has finally stepped into showbiz with Kabeer Khurana’s short film titled Suttabaazi. Co-starring Rahul Vohra and Komal Chhabria, the 13-minute-long film released on Disney+Hotstar on January 10. 

Shot within the boundaries of four walls, Suttabaazi revolves around the Kumar family. Diya Kumar (Renee) is an Instagram influencer and a clandestine smoker. The teenager is more bothered about her followers on the Facebook-owned photo-sharing app than attending online classes. 

Diya has a dysfunctional family. Her mother is a nagging housewife who wants to start her own Hindi tuition classes amid the lockdown. But Diya’s father pulls her down by saying unkind things. While one will predict that Diya’s parents will learn about her habit of smoking secretly, a twist is introduced in the second half of the film. 

Suttabaazi allows the actors to shine. Director Kabeer, who has also written the film, has done a decent job. However, the problem lies with the duration and the concepts that he tries to fit in just 13 minutes. Societal issues like smoking cause cancer, women should be allowed to pursue their dreams, generation gap and how smoking can actually bridge the gap between a parent and child are highlighted. But, each one of them needed more space to breathe and leave behind an impact. Suttabaazi neither harms nor impresses. It tries to bite off more than it can chew. 

Renee, as Diya Kumar, shows commendable maturity. It is hard to believe that she is just starting off her acting career. The young actress exudes cool vibes and it is a pleasure to watch her perform. It is an unconventional debut of Renee and we are excited to see what she picks up next for the 70mm. Sushmita must be super proud of her little one! Komal performs well and is a surprise package. Rahul shines in a super brief role. Director of Photography Chehek Bilgi does a fine job along with music director Sooraj Bishnoi.

In a nutshell, Suttabaazi would have been a brilliant watch had the duration been longer. Keeping the flaws aside, Suttabaazi is a commendable effort by a team of youngsters who are exploring the art of filmmaking. 

PeepingMoon gives Suttabaazi 2.5 Moons