welcome home telugu movie review

Welcome Home Movie Review: A solid chamber drama and an affecting commentary on patriarchy

Rating: ( 3 / 5).

Two women are held captive in a nondescript house in the middle of nowhere. They are in this situation because of the goodness of their hearts. At one point in their captivity, the women — Anuja (Kashmira Irani) and Neha (Swarda Thigale) — talk about the cowardice of their respective mothers. Both Anuja and Neha are unhappy about their mothers not standing up for them in the family. Anuja has an overbearing father; Neha, an abusive brother. But over this conversation, they each understand why their mothers behaved that way. We nod our heads too knowing that, at times, surviving can be the most courageous thing to do. It is this survival against insurmountable odds that takes centrestage in the ironically-titled Sony LIV film, Welcome Home. Written by Ankita Narang and based on a true story, Welcome Home might seem like a gritty chamber drama, but it is also an affecting commentary on patriarchy. What’s most impressive about the film is how well it works as just a survival drama even if one doesn’t understand the subtext. Anuja and Neha are teachers at a government school in Nagpur. They are clubbed together for census duty and visit that ill-fated home where a heavily pregnant Prerna (Tina Bhatia) reveals shocking details about her life in the most chillingly nonchalant way. We see Prerna being controlled by Amma, the matriarch of the house. We come across Bhola (Boloram Das), a lecherous cook who is clearly up to no good. We are told about Ghanshyam, a mounvrat-holding middle-aged man who is responsible for multiple pregnancies of Prerna. There is an overall sinister vibe to the proceedings, and the teacher duo go down a treacherous path trying to help Prerna out of this misery. Cast: Kashmira Irani, Swarda Thigale, Boloram Das, Shashi Bhushan, Tina Bhatia Director: Pushkar Sunil Mahabal The path has grotesque, bone-crushing violence that is somehow both compelling and squeamish. The violence meted out against the women of Welcome Home isn’t always physical. If two women are held against their will, there is a woman who doesn’t understand free will anymore. Even Anuja and Neha are not exactly aware of what it feels like to be truly independent. Though self-sufficient and employed, each women is forced to act according to the whims of either a brother or a father or a fiance. Now, is this why both of them risk it all to return to save Prerna? Do they see their own mothers or their own futures in her? The film poses such questions on the ground realities faced by seemingly empowered women. An inappropriate proposition being turned down results in slut-shaming. An earnest plea about a woman’s urge to work and be independent turns into a misogynistic lecture on a woman’s rightful place. So when does a woman actually free herself of the shackles that are enforced upon her at every turn? Even if these questions don’t occur to the audience, it is pretty much guaranteed that they will enjoy this nail-biting thriller.

Another fascinating aspect of Welcome Home is how this isn’t a film where the women are waiting for men to come and rescue them. That doesn't mean this is an NH 10 where Anushka Sharma takes up the cudgels. In Welcome Home , Anuja feels her mom will be the best person to help her. Neha, even when afraid of what would happen inside the house, is equally worried about how her brother would react to her absence. During this struggle for survival, we see how ingrained patriarchy is in women. With such disturbing themes, this is a film that could have easily become overwhelming if not for the measured performances. There is a level of poignancy both Kashmira and Swarda bring to their characters who go through a gamut of emotions. The unassuming evilness of Shashi and Boloram unnerves us and makes us hope against hope that nothing happens to Anuja and Neha. Special mention to cinematographer Saee Hope and composer Meghdeep Bose for wonderfully reflecting the fluctuation between calmness and chaos. While a case can be made against the excessive violence in Welcome Home , it cannot be written off here as just another offshoot of the freedom offered by OTT. The ugly head of patriarchy can come in various ways. It could have a bushy beard. It could have a calm demeanour. It could be propped up on a crutch. It could sport a derisive smile. But, if patriarchy does rear its ugly head at women determined to shape their own futures, then it is okay to cut it right off… and such bloodshed is definitely warranted. 

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Movie Review | Welcome Home: Terrifically Taut & Spine Chillingly Shocking

• Pooja Tiwari

WELCOME HOME review is here. Released on Sonly LIV on November 06 2020, the thriller is made by Pushkar Mahabal and stars Kashmira Irani, Swarda Thigale, Tina Bhatiya, Shashi Bhushan and Boloram Das.

WELCOME HOME Story

Soon to be married Anuja (Kashmira Irani) is fighting her woes with her fiancée and is excited to start her new job at a school as a teacher in English and Geography. Soon Anuja gets an assignment to do the job of an enumerator (counting of people and listing for census) of a nearby village with her colleague Neha (Swarde Thigale). All is going well but hell breaks loose when they ring the wrong bell of a house situated in a remote area and surrounded by a jungle.

WELCOME HOME movie review

SonyLIV does it again. After the masterpiece SCAM 1992: THE HARSHAD MEHTA STORY comes a terrifically taut & spine chillingly shocking gut – wrencher – WELCOME HOME. This raw, edgy and horrific reminder of child sex abuse, domestic violence and crime against women is soaked in blood that continuously pokes and pinches the wound with a needle.

The brilliance of shocking realism in Ankita Narang’s writing and powerfully arresting, disturbing and provoking narration and crisp editing by Pushkar Mahabal makes this a disturbing but provokingly unmissable watch.

Saee Bhope’s atmospheric cinematography and the deadly combo of claustrophobia, feminism and brutal attack on male machismo in the plot/theme presented as a deadly violent creepy survival thriller saga, keeps the eyes of the audience wide open for various reasons.

The characterizations are pitch – perfect for example Boloram Das as Bhola is just incredible.

Performances are of highest order.

Kashmira Irani is superb. Swarde Thigale is outstanding. Boloram Das as said earlier – excellent.

Solid support comes from Prerna (Tina Bhatia), the pregnant woman. Akshita Arora – the creepy looking mother. Shashi Bhushan – the maun vrath brother of bhola is a picture of pure but silent evil.

Final words

WELCOME HOME is a terrifically taut & spine chillingly shocking psychological thriller that comes with a solid whack on male machismo, domestic violence, child sex abuse, crime against women and more…

P.S. WELCOME HOME has shocking scenes of violence, blood, gore and torture on women and men. Persons with a weak heart and/or aged below 18 are advised to refrain from watching this movie.

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‘Welcome Home’ review: Two census takers ring the wrong doorbell

Pushkar mahabal’s thriller, starring kashmira irani and swarda thigale, is being streamed on sonyliv..

The actor Boloram Das is in full-on creepiness mode in two direct-to-streamer films this week. In Pepper Chicken , Das plays a driver who takes his customer (Dipannita Sharma) on a tour of hell. Ratan Sil Sharma’s movie, which is out on ShemarooMe Box Office, features Das as an initially polite and protective type who reveals his dark side moments after spouting the poetry of Pash. The serviceable thriller squanders its early promise, but coasts along on the performances of the two leads.

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.

The movie has been written by Ankita Narang and skillfully directed and edited by Pushkar Mahabal. The excellent handheld cinematography, by Saee Bhope, creates an unrelenting atmosphere of dread and claustrophobia as two women unwittingly walk into a house of horrors.

Everybody counts, whether during an election or a census. With this noble thought in mind, enumerator Anuja (Kashmira Irani) and her colleague Neha (Swarda Thigale) knock on the door of the only house in a town on their list. The door is opened by the heavily pregnant Prerna (Tina Bhatia). Her child-like manner and the bruises on her body make Anuja suspicious. That and Prerna’s scary-looking mother (Akshita Arora), unspeaking father (Shashi Bhushan) and strange-eyed cook (Boloram Das).

Didn’t you find them odd, Anuja asks Neha. Very, very odd, Neha replies. Yet Anuja, who has a domineering father and fiance and values her small freedoms, is moved by Prerna’s condition. She returns to the house with Neha, and it is a while before they can leave.

Pushkar Mahabal keeps his finger on the wound throughout the 126-minute narrative, producing several wince-making moments. The excellent acting across the board, especially by Kashmira Irani and Swarda Thigale, ensure that the modestly budgeted survival drama yields rich dividends.

The uncluttered narrative deftly brings out the culture of abuse and control that has trapped the house’s residents. The sordid encounter with terrible men and enabling women transforms the new victims too. Anuja, who has been fighting to keep her job, and Neha, who has a bully of a brother, emerge as spirited fighters rather than helpless victims, always attempting to resist what is being done to them. Their liberation is soaked in blood – a sad truth that Welcome Home brings out one nail-biting scene at a time.

• Welcome Home review
• Kashmira Irani
• Swarda Thigale

'Welcome Home' review: A solid chamber drama and an affecting commentary on patriarchy

Two women are held captive in a nondescript house in the middle of nowhere. They are in this situation because of the goodness of their hearts. At one point in their captivity, the women — Anuja (Kashmira Irani) and Neha (Swarda Thigale) — talk about the cowardice of their respective mothers.

Both Anuja and Neha are unhappy about their mothers not standing up for them in the family. Anuja has an overbearing father; Neha, an abusive brother. But over this conversation, they each understand why their mothers behaved that way. We nod our heads too knowing that, at times, surviving can be the most courageous thing to do. It is this survival against insurmountable odds that takes centrestage in the ironically-titled Sony LIV film, Welcome Home.

Written by Ankita Narang and based on a true story, Welcome Home might seem like a gritty chamber drama, but it is also an affecting commentary on patriarchy. What’s most impressive about the film is how well it works as just a survival drama even if one doesn’t understand the subtext. Anuja and Neha are teachers at a government school in Nagpur. They are clubbed together for census duty and visit that ill-fated home where a heavily pregnant Prerna (Tina Bhatia) reveals shocking details about her life in the most chillingly nonchalant way. We see Prerna being controlled by Amma, the matriarch of the house.

We come across Bhola (Boloram Das), a lecherous cook who is clearly up to no good. We are told about Ghanshyam, a mounvrat-holding middle-aged man who is responsible for multiple pregnancies of Prerna. There is an overall sinister vibe to the proceedings, and the teacher duo go down a treacherous path trying to help Prerna out of this misery.

The path has grotesque, bone-crushing violence that is somehow both compelling and squeamish. The violence meted out against the women of Welcome Home isn’t always physical. If two women are held against their will, there is a woman who doesn’t understand free will anymore. Even Anuja and Neha are not exactly aware of what it feels like to be truly independent. Though self-sufficient and employed, each women is forced to act according to the whims of either a brother or a father or a fiance.

Now, is this why both of them risk it all to return to save Prerna? Do they see their own mothers or their own futures in her? The film poses such questions on the ground realities faced by seemingly empowered women. An inappropriate proposition being turned down results in slut-shaming. An earnest plea about a woman’s urge to work and be independent turns into a misogynistic lecture on a woman’s rightful place. So when does a woman actually free herself of the shackles that are enforced upon her at every turn? Even if these questions don’t occur to the audience, it is pretty much guaranteed that they will enjoy this nail-biting thriller.

Another fascinating aspect of Welcome Home is how this isn’t a film where the women are waiting for men to come and rescue them. That doesn’t mean this is an NH 10 where Anushka Sharma takes up the cudgels. In Welcome Home, Anuja feels her mom will be the best person to help her. Neha, even when afraid of what would happen inside the house, is equally worried about how her brother would react to her absence.

During this struggle for survival, we see how ingrained patriarchy is in women. With such disturbing themes, this is a film that could have easily become overwhelming if not for the measured performances. There is a level of poignancy both Kashmira and Swarda bring to their characters who go through a gamut of emotions. The unassuming evilness of Shashi and Boloram unnerves us and makes us hope against hope that nothing happens to Anuja and Neha. Special mention to cinematographer Saee Hope and composer Meghdeep Bose for wonderfully reflecting the fluctuation between calmness and chaos.

While a case can be made against the excessive violence in Welcome Home, it cannot be written off here as just another offshoot of the freedom offered by OTT. The ugly head of patriarchy can come in various ways. It could have a bushy beard. It could have a calm demeanour. It could be propped up on a crutch. It could sport a derisive smile. But, if patriarchy does rear its ugly head at women determined to shape their own futures, then it is okay to cut it right off… and such bloodshed is definitely warranted.

Welcome Home 

Director:  Pushkar Sunil Mahabal Cast: Kashmira Irani, Swarda Thigale,  Boloram Das, Shashi Bhushan, Tina Bhatia Director: Pushkar Sunil Mahabal Out on: Sony LIV

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Welcome home movie review: payback bites back and hard in this thriller.

Curated By : Devasheesh Pandey

Last Updated: November 07, 2020, 18:31 IST

'Welcome Home' movie still

Welcome Home can creep you out with a revenge tale that is also a mirror to the patriarchal Indian society. Here's our movie review.

• Welcome Home

Cast: Kashmira Irani, Swarda Thigale, Shashi Bhushan, Tina Bhatiya, Boloram Das, Akshita Arora

Director: Pushkar Sunil Mahabal

Even though the concept of Sony LIV’s latest offering Welcome Home is not entirely new, giving credit where it is due, the treatment of Pushkar Sunil Mahabal directorial is certainly fresh and has an edge that will creep you out in bits and pieces. An oddball ensemble lends sincerity to this thriller, thus making it one of the movies to look out for if you are game for some eerie, indie drama this weekend.

Set in Nagpur, Welcome Home does well with themes of household abuse and emancipation, while it bares patriarchy that normalises gender bias. Through one of the dialogues uttered by actress Swarda Thigale (Neha), it becomes evident how domestic violence is an accepted norm, as she casually questions her colleague, “Your father did not beat up your mother?”

Faceless men openly threaten women with dire consequences if they go against their will. Instances such as these are numerous throughout the film and the writer makes it certain that albeit the storyline takes a vengeful turn in the second half of its runtime, there are varied ways through which it is implied that gender stereotypes are here and quite in the open.

Neha and Anuja (Kashmira Irani) are census workers and chance upon a property that is in a secluded spot. The dungeons here run deep and bitter realities are waiting to reel them in a trap. Will they manage to outsmart the perpetrators is what the two-hour-long movie aims to answer.

Home here becomes a metaphor for horrors that go into subduing women. You seem to get a drift of where the plot is headed but there are ample twists at every corner to keep the suspense quotient alive. It also invests us in the movie and forces us to engage with it beyond the superficiality of viewing. This becomes the biggest takeaways of this revenge drama.

Since Welcome Home is inspired by true events, it will certainly reaffirm the saying for you, “Reality is stranger than fiction.”

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.

Rating: 2.5/5

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Mathu Vadalara 2

Sri Simha Koduri , Sathya , Vennela Kishore , Faria Abdullah

13 Sep 2024 | 2 hrs 19 mins

Bhale Unnade

Singeetham Srinivasa Rao , Raj Tarun , VTV Ganesh , Leela Samson , Hyper Aadi

13 Sep 2024 | 2 hrs 17 mins

35-Chinna Katha Kaadu

Vishwadev Rachakonda , Arundev Pothula , K. Bhagyaraj , Nivetha Thomas , Priyadarshi Pullikonda

06 Sep 2024 | 2 hrs 25 mins

Mr.Bachchan

Ravi Teja , Bhagyashri Borse , Jagapathi Babu

15 Aug 2024 | 2 hrs 38 mins

Purushothamudu

Raj Tarun , Hasini Sudhir , Ramya Krishnan , Prakash Raj , Murali Sharma , Brahmanandam

2 hrs 2 mins

Vinoth Kishan , Anoosha Krishna , Ritika Sharma , Anusha Nuthula

19 Jul 2024 | 2 hrs 0 mins

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Trailers Music

Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video - Official Trailer

Yudhra - Official Trailer

Devara Part -1 - Official Hindi Trailer

Jigra - Official Teaser

Hit: The 3rd Case - Official Teaser

Wicked - Official Trailer

The Buckingham Murders - Official Trailer

A Minecraft Movie - Official Teaser

Sonic The Hedgehog 3 - Official Trailer

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story - Official Trailer

The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim - Official Tr...

The Buckingham Murders - Official Teaser

Chhaava - Official Teaser

The GOAT: The Greatest Of All Time - Official Tamil Trailer

Emergency - Official Trailer

Kraven: The Hunter - Official Trailer

Saripodhaa Sanivaaram - Official Trailer

Moana 2 - Official Trailer

Mufasa: The Lion King - Official Trailer

Kahan Shuru Kahan Khatam | Song - Sehra

Sector 36 | Song - Dumroo

Yudhra | Song - Sohni Lagdi

Bonita By Yo Yo Honey Singh and The Shams

Devara Part - 1 | Hindi Song - Daavudi

Call Me Bae | Song - Churaaiyaan

Martin | Song - Dhadkano Main

Attach By Sidhu Moose Wala Featuring Fredo

Aana Padega By Saaj Bhatt

Vedaa | Song - Dhaage

Kaafi Nahi By Viraj Bahri

Mann Laage Na By Javed Ali

Stree 2 | Song - Khoobsurat

Vedaa | Song - Zaroorat Se Zyada

Zikr Tera By Naman Pareek, Kavyakriti And Manan Meer

Khel Khel Mein | Song - Do U Know

Old Money By Ap Dhillon Featuring Salman Khan and Sanjay Dut...

Ghudchadi | Song - Punjabi Munde

Tu By Talwiinder

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha | Song - Ae Dil Zara

Sarangadhariya

Raja Ravindra , Shivakumar Ramachandravarapu , Yashaswini Srinivas

12 Jul 2024 | 2 hrs 21 mins

Prabuthwa Junior Kalashala

Pranav Preetham , Shagnasri Venun , Sri Munichandra

21 Jun 2024 | 2 hrs 11 mins

Sudheer Babu , Malvika Sharma , Sunil

14 Jun 2024 | 2 hrs 34 mins

Music Shop Murthy

Ajay Ghosh , Chandini Chowdary , Aamani , Amit Sharma , Bhanu Chander , Dayanand Reddy

2 hrs 7 mins

navdeep , Pankhuri Gidwani

Sharwanand , Krithi Shetty , Seerat Kapoor , Vennela Kishore , Rahul Ramakrishna , Rahul Ravindran , Shiva Kandukuri

Bhaje Vaayu Vegam

Kartikeya Gummakonda , Iswarya Menon , Rahul Tyson , Tanikella Bharani , Ravi Shankar

31 May 2024 | 2 hrs 16 mins

Gam Gam Ganesha

Vennela Kishore , Anand Deverakonda , Raj Arjun , Satyam Rajesh , Krishna Chaitanya , Nayan Sarika , Pragathi Shrivatsav

31 May 2024 | 2 hrs 20 mins

Gangs Of Godavari

Vishwak Sen , Neha Shetty , Nassar , Anjali

31 May 2024 | 2 hrs 26 mins

Vikas Kanaka , Pappala Shanthi Priya , Bisetty Kodanda Nagesh

2 hrs 1 mins

Getup Srinu , Rocket Raghava , Ankita Kharat , Mirchi Hemanth , Bhushan Kalyan

17 May 2024

Satya Dev , Archana Iyerr , Athira Raj , Laxman Meesala

10 May 2024 | 2 hrs 18 mins

Aa Okkati Adakku

Allari Naresh , Faria Abdullah , Vennela Kishore , Jamie Lever , Viva Harsha

03 May 2024 | 2 hrs 2 mins

Prasanna Vadanam

Suhas , Rashi Singh , Payal Radhakrishna , Viva Harsha , Nandu

Paarijatha Parvam

Sunil , Chaithanya Rao , Shraddha Das , Viva Harsha

19 Apr 2024 | 2 hrs 13 mins

Satyam Rajesh , Megha Chowdhary , Aadukalam Naren

19 Apr 2024 | 2 hrs 2 mins

Inti Number 13

Anandaraj , Tanikella Bharani , Ravi Varma , Prudhvi

01 Mar 2024 | 2 hrs 7 mins

Family Star

Vijay Deverakonda , Mrunal Thakur , Ajay Ghosh , Divyansha Kaushik

05 Apr 2024 | 2 hrs 2 mins

Tillu Square

Siddhu Jonnalagadda , Anupama Parameswaran

29 Mar 2024 | 2 hrs 2 mins

Babu: No.1 Bullshit Guy

Muralidhar Goud , Arjun Kalyan , Ravi Varma

Om Bheem Bush

Priyadarshi , Sree Vishnu , Rahul Ramakrishna , Srikanth Iyengar , Racha Ravi

22 Mar 2024 | 2 hrs 2 mins

Tottempudi Gopichand , Priya Bhavanishankar , Malavika Sharma , Nassar , Vennela Kishore , Raghu Babu , Mukesh Tiwari

08 Mar 2024 | 2 hrs 2 mins

Vishwak Sen , Chandini Chowdary

Happy Ending

Yash Puri , Apoorva Rao , Ajay Ghosh , Harsh Roshan , Vishnu Oi

02 Feb 2024 | 2 hrs 26 mins

Bhoothaddam Bhaskar Narayana

Shiva Kandukuri , Rashi Singh , Devi Prasad

Vennela Kishore , Murali Sharma , Samyuktha Viswanathan

01 Mar 2024 | 2 hrs 10 mins

Operation Valentine

Varun Tej , Manushi Chhillar , Mir Sarwar

01 Mar 2024 | 2 hrs 2 mins

Siddharth Roy

Deepak Saroj , Tanvi Negi , Anand Bharathi , Mathew Varghese , Nandini YallaReddy

23 Feb 2024 | 2 hrs 28 mins

Sundaram Master

Harsha Chemudu

Ooru Peru Bhairavakona

Sundeep Kishan , Varsha Bollamma , Kavya Thapar , Vennela Kishore , Viva Harsha

16 Feb 2024 | 2 hrs 16 mins

Ravi Teja , Kavya Thapar , Anupama Parameswaran , Madhoo Shah , Srinivas Avasarala , navdeep , Ajay Ghosh

09 Feb 2024

Mammootty , Jiiva , Mahesh Manjrekar , Ketaki Narayan

Geethanandh , Neha Solanki

Ambajipeta Marriage Band

Suhas , Shivani Nagaram

Naa Saami Ranga

Nagarjuna Akkineni , Allari Naresh , Raj Tarun , Ashika Ranganath , Mirnaa Menon , Rukshar Dhillon

14 Jan 2024 | 2 hrs 26 mins

Venkatesh Daggubati , Nawazuddin Siddiqui , Shraddha Srinath , Ruhani Sharma , Andrea Jeremiah , Arya

13 Jan 2024 | 2 hrs 20 mins

Guntur Kaaram

Mahesh Babu , Sreeleela , Meenakshi Chaudhary , Ramya Krishnan , Prakash Raj , Vennela Kishore , Jayaram

12 Jan 2024 | 2 hrs 39 mins

Teja Sajja , Amritha Aiyer , Varalaxmi Sarathkumar , Vinay Rai , Raj Deepak Shetty , Vennela Kishore , Getup Srinu

12 Jan 2024 | 2 hrs 38 mins

Devil: The British Secret Agent

Nandamuri Kalyanram , Samyuktha Menon , Malavika Nair , Elnaaz Norouzi , Vasishta N. Simha

2 hrs 26 mins

Harsha Chemudu , Anu Hasan

2 hrs 28 mins

Prabhas , Shruti Haasan , Prithviraj Sukumaran , Jagapathi Babu , Easwari Rao , Tinnu Anand , Sriya Reddy

22 Dec 2023 | 2 hrs 55 mins

Extra: Ordinary Man

Nithiin , Sreeleela , Rao Ramesh , Sampath , Sudev Nair , Brahmaji , Rohini , Harsha Vardhan , Srikanth Iyengar

08 Dec 2023 | 2 hrs 37 mins

Nani , Mrunal Thakur , Jayaram , Shruti Haasan , Kiara Khanna

07 Dec 2023 | 2 hrs 2 mins

Calling Sahasra

Sudigali Sedheer , Spandana Palli , Siva Balaji

2 hrs 23 mins

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Welcome Home On SonyLIV Review: Unspeakable Horror Becomes Unwatchable Gore

Editor, Director: Pushkar Sunil Mahabal Writer: Ankita Narang Cast: Kashmira Irani, Swarda Thigale, Sashi Bhudhan, Boloram Das, Tina Bhatia, Akshita Arora Producer: Paresh Rawal, Swaroop Rawal, Hemal A Thakur, Pushkar Mahabal, Ankita Narang Streaming Platform: SonyLIV

Unwatchable can mean two of many things. It could mean a film is bad, rendering it unwatchable. Or it could mean the film's visuals are raw, repugnant, and repulsive. Sometimes, as in Darren Aronofsky's Mother, it is hard to know what one means when using the word 'unwatchable' because we often seek meaning or, at least, catharsis from violence. Why show a closeup of Jennifer Lawrence being battered and bruised- the purple wounds blooming on her skin in real time? 

Welcome Home a Marathi film makes you ask similar questions. It is the story of two census takers, Anuja and Neha (Kashmira Irani, Swarda Thigale, both bronzed beyond belief), who, in attempting to unearth the shady ongoings in a deserted house, become embroiled in it. They first encounter Prerna (Tina Bhatia), pregnant and anxious, who throws a line casually about how all her children die anyway. Anuja and Neha leave after taking the requisite headcount information for the census, but the gnawing intuition makes them come back, and all-hell-breaks-loose. 

The 2 hour film begins as horror, the background score, and slanted camera in overdrive, almost announcing its genre. I didn't mind its obviousness so much because it was effective. A lot of these horror portions are propped up by unspeakable horrors that haven't found voice yet. They articulate themselves in the second half, by which time the film swerves genres. It sheds its horror to become gore. 

But what binds the two halves is the feminist underscoring. Anuja is battling her father and fiance, both of whom insist that she leave her job. Neha has an  imposing elder brother. Both were raised in households where the father routinely hit the mother, and this generational cascading of misogyny doesn't dam. Mid-way while the film is transitioning from horror to gore, Anuja and Neha are having a conversation about what it means to be a strong woman. Anuja confesses that though her mother would be routinely violated, she would always stand up for Anuja. Neha notes, that is strength too. 

Neha, at first glance, seems smart, as a woman who would evade such a destiny. When we first see her she is wearing a sleeveless kurta, without a dupatta. Anuja, spectacled, has both sleeves and a dupatta, reticent and wary. Then, we see Neha being chastised by her elder brother for coming back late, and the following day she is armed with both sleeves and a dupatta. The bravado is only piecemeal. 

Now, the problem with gore, for me, is that it needs to feel justified. I have never bought into the idea of gore-for-gore's-sake. So at the end of a film, I need to feel that my squirming, and uneasy clasping of eyes was worth it. Here, it didn't feel that way. There's an emptiness to the film's conclusion that doesn't tie back to the worst thing one can read at the beginning of a horror film, "Inspired by true events". Somewhere in between the bludgeoned brains and the casual rape, you forget that there is some kernel of truth here. You are reminded with an epilogue on screen citing statistics of abuse. 

The performances are rooted to the genre, reacting first to the horror then to the gore. It doesn't become shrill and the flourishes of naturalism kept me engaged, even if not involved. The setting retains its daylight and bright marigolds to dot the landscape. Most of the horror happens at night, and most of the gore happens in daylight; rain is a bad omen. There's a strict delineation of genres, careful to not step on one another's toe, and this was where I felt the film lose its grip. In carefully and patiently plotting its gore, it forgot its horror which was what made the film exciting in the first place. I wished for the jump scare prodded on by the excitable score. Instead I got a closeup of mashed brains, a cow on fire, and machetes eager for skin to claw into. 

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