Sister Midnight Review: Radhika Apte Will Suck You Into This Dark Comedy, Literally!
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Sister Midnight Review: Radhika Apte owns and shoulders Karan Kandhari's directorial debut Sister Midnight beautifully.
Sister Midnight Review: Dark comedy, feminist satire, surreal horror and some genre-defying character portrayal by Radhika Apte is what makes Karan Kandhari's directorial debut a film to watch. Sister Midnight, which premiered at Cannes 2024, has finally found some limited release in India. As you walk into relatively empty theatres, take a seat, grab your popcorn tub and sip on your choice of some beverage, because, Radhika Apte is going to transcend you into her world where she is a total mess trying to figure out her own tribe and mould her personality rather than just fitting into a society.
It all begins when Uma, played by Apte, who is married to Gopal (played by Ashok Pathak), and travelling in a train to Mumbai. On a personal level, I could connect with Uma's version of Mumbai because the filming of the movie was done across the streets of my neighbourhood here in the city. However, Apte from the word go, is on her toes and is exploring this alien space and locality by herself. Though her marriage with Gopal is as terrible as it could get, she befriends Sheetal (played by Chhaya Kadam). Sheetal tries to teach her the nuances of running a house and cooking, but none of this domestic and daily life hustle impresses Uma.
She voices out her opinions to everyone, even to Gopal, who is somewhere scared to talk to Uma because of her eccentric behaviour. Uma tries her best to find her footing and fit within the conventional norms of society, but just cannot get herself to live the way society demands her to survive. Nevertheless, things take a bizarre turn at a family event, and nothing remains the same after that. This is where Kandhari decides to take things to another level and makes this chirpy comedy-drama into something so dark that you will eventually feel what you just watched!
Without trying to give out much of the plot of the film, it is safe to state that Uma finally finds herself in a situation where she is discovering something new within her, and is clueless about things happening to her. Eventually, she understands her cravings and decides to act on them. All of this journey, or self-exploration and discovering the truth about her being the way she is, unfolds in such darker circumstances that you cannot watch it without getting multiple goose bumps.
Though there are other characters, this 107-minute-long film revolves around Apte and her journey. Overall, the movie has a good mix of humour, a strong message about how to find your own self, and most importantly, it teaches you that it is okay to be a misfit if you fall in love with who you are as a person.
First Published:
May 31, 2025, 07:17 IST
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