Taali Review: Sushmita Sen delivers her career-best performance in an honest but flawed biopic

Aakruti Bagla

August 15, 2023
5:15 pm
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Sushmita Sen's brave attempt to tell the inspiring tale of Shreegauri Sawant deserves an applause. The actress carries the show on her shoulders and how!

Taali Review:

Plot:

Shreegauri Sawant is undoubtedly an impressive personality. Her fight for the rights of the third-gender community went on to make history. Apart from this battle, her life struggles are also gut-wrenching. Chronicling her life, creators Arjun and Kartk have presented this gritty and emotional tale in the form of Taali starring Sushmita Sen. The web series recounts Gauri’s childhood as Ganesh, the tumultuous relationship with her father, the loss of her mother at a young age, her transition journey and a yearning for motherhood. But does the tale manage to leave a profound impact? Check out our review of Sushmita Sen starrer Taali:

The series begins with young Gauri aka Ganesh being ridiculed by his classmates. During a career aptitude test, he is asked about his future goals. To which, he expresses his desire to become a mother. Even at home, he is quite aware of the feminine traits within him. He loves decking up in a saree, applies make-up, and performs Lavani during cultural programs. But his father has hatred towards his nature and tries his best to change. But an adamant Ganesh breaks ties with him. After coming to Mumbai, Ganesh gets acquainted with the life of transgenders. As a result, Gauri gets hell-bent to fight for the rights of the third gender. She eventually files a petition in the Supreme Court of India. What happens ahead and how does Gauri overcome the hurdles in this journey, forms the rest of the series.

Highlights of Taali

Sushmita Sen’s impeccable performance: The biggest highlight of Taali is Sushmita Sen’s memorable act as Shreegauri Sawant. This is probably the first time an actress will be seen playing a transgender. Her portrayal is nuanced, authentic and makes sure to create a special place in your heart. Right from her baritone to her mannerisms and body language, the actress gets into the skin of the character with aplomb. She deserves brownie points, when she plays Ganesh because walking like a man is not an easy job but she does it with full conviction. We also see Ganesh having sex reassignment surgery, changing his name to Gauri, and then advocating for transgender rights. And words fall short to express Sushmita’s brilliance while portraying such scenes. Apart from these bold scenes, the former miss universe also aces emotional scenes.

Sushmita Sen shines as Shreeauri Sawant

Krutika Deo as Ganesh: Apart from Sushmita, Krutika Deo also perfectly slips into the character. Her fidget, apprehensions, and emotional traumas as a child are chalked out well.

Krutika Deo as Ganesh

Honest attempt: Taali is directed by national award-winning director Ravi Jadhav, a filmmaker who is most prominent for his Marathi films. The national award-winning director has helmed films with unusual subjects, like ‘Natarang’, ‘Balgandharva’ and ‘Balak-Palak’. All his films have a hint of gender identity. When it comes to the series, he has treated the subject with utmost honesty. In fact, real transgenders are deployed for secondary and tertiary characters. There are moments highlighting atrocities within the community which are handled well.

Dealing the subject with utmost honesty

Hard-hitting dialogues: One of the captivating factors of the biopic is the indelible impact left by the way Sushmita Sen mouths the dialogues. Be it while expressing the plight, or taking a fight against the ruthless society, the tone set by the impactful dialogues makes Taali a one-time watch.

Drawbacks of Taali

Inconsistent screenplay: While the story is riveting, the inconsistent screenplay somehow slows the narrative and makes you disengaged. The writing is not strong enough to keep you glued or interested considering the length of the show. It showcases the journey in a back-and-forth style, i.e. it jumps between past and present. Overall, the narrative proceeds at a very slow pace. There are some tense moments in the series that call for our attention, but the intensity deters in no time. This can be one of the factors that the audience might get disconnected from the series.

Feels more like a docu-series: Despite having an entertainment quotient, the show gives a feel of a docu-series. While it has its heart in the right place, the narrative lacks the punch as many of the crucial complexities are not conveyed effectively. The presentation is quite formulaic and obsolete. We were looking forward to knowing a bit more about the community as a whole, but the narrative was only centered around the fight for rights and support.

Bland Music: The background music of the series at places cease to live up to the vibe. It’s either too loud or subtle. Even songs in between the series do not help in taking the narrative forward.

Conclusion

Overall, Taali is a bold, honest, inspiring, and gut-wrenching tale of identity, survival, and equality of the third-gender community. The series is high on emotional quotient to the extent that you may feel choked while watching a few scenes. But, there are also moments we lose interest because of the languorous pace. Amidst all these factors, actress Sushmita Sen carries the show on her shoulder as she slips into the character with utmost sincerity. There are instances when we feel that she and Gauri Swant are similar and no one could have pulled off such a role.