"Sherni" : A Reflection of the Tigress in Woman

spoiler alert!

Sherni (2021)

“Jangal kitna bhi ghana kyun na ho, Sherni apna rasta dhoond hi leti hain”

(No matter how deep the jungle is, the Tigress always finds her way)

These lines from the teaser of Sherni, the latest Amazon Prime Originals movie, strikes the common man with quite a lingering thought of curiosity about who is this ‘Sherni’ or Tigress, and what exactly is her ‘way’. The Vidya Balan starrer Sherni, directed by Academy Awards shortlisted filmmaker Amit V. Masurkar, brings quite a refreshing change in the drift of Hindi movies in recent times. Starting from the corruption prevailing in the brightest circles of the country’s civil services to sexism and male chauvinism, the movie encaptures a vast range of societal norms that are pervasive yet questionable. 

As a growing woman in this century, what I found most striking is the excellently portrayed sexism that the lead role of the film Vidya Vincent (Vidya Balan’s character) had to face throughout her posting at the village, even at her highest rank of being the Divisional Forest Officer. There is not a single moment of trust that her senior officers ensure her with, although an unsaid trust is unequivocally developed between the audience and Vidya with the progress of the film. There are a few characters, some male and mostly female, that rely on Vidya for their mission to safely capture the Tigress T12. Despite the presence of several haughty, higher-ranked male officials engaged in the mission to capture T12, Vidya Vincent is who we root for until the end of the movie. 

This is quite reflective of the peculiar allegiance we develop with the Sherni- the man-eating Tigress code named T12. As the movie progresses, the unseen Tigress creates havoc among the villagers, and although we despise her for killing innocent lives, we do not want her to get killed by Pintu Bhaiya, the blood-thirsty hunter who never lets a tiger go off from his list of accomplishments. The Tigress is shown from close only towards the end of the movie when she is shot by the heartless hunter in the name of saving the villagers. He said "Khoon ka badla khoon se hi lunga mein" (Blood shall be avenged by blood) and does the same in the end. 

So a question arises here in this kingdom of animal and man that who really is the danger— the Tigress who killed people that she came across in her territory on her way of navigating through the forests, or Pintu Bhaiya, a mere human with a gun in hand, searching for her as a prize to possess? 

The portrayal of party politics is another significant angle of discussion. The extremely subtle yet ruthless scenes of politics expose the entire country’s system of rural developmental services. The existence of corruption in every aspect of work is a known fact, yet it is never sufficiently addressed. Vidya Vincent, the honorary DFO of this region is seen fighting her way out through these dirty politics, sometimes by hiding necessary information from higher officers for the safety of the Tigress, or sometimes by voicing out her opinions on what she feels incorrect. Her continuous engagement with the villagers and consoling them for their losses brought by the Tigress make her character distinctly different from all the blathering men who know either to talk or to kill. 

Vidya’s main motive as a guardian of the forests was to safely capture the Tigress and shift her to the nearby National Park. Her mission eventually fails to execute as Pintu Bhaiya, aided by the other male officers, manages to hunt her down and kill her. We feel terribly disappointed in this scene, yet this turn of events feels too predictable. The reason for this is simply the reflection of the real-world politics and failure that women face daily. Even the brightest of paths and hardest of efforts prove to be quite futile for a woman, as opposed to a man. We might find ourselves thinking the Tigress might have lived under the supervision of Vidya if not the mission was transferred to Noorani’s lead. What feels sadder is Vidya’s relentless attempt to save the Tigress for the sake of the two cubs she had produced recently had failed. When Vidya drops down on her knees and cries, we feel her closely with a heavy heart. 

Vidya's exasperation is quite relatable for a woman as it feels defeated to be constantly rejected and failed by the same world she fights for. There isn’t any direct message as such, or a victorious turn of events in the end that can feed our dissatisfaction, but it definitely feels good to hear Vidya say “Pathetic” to her mentor and idol Noorani, who also proved to be a twisted and corrupted man just like the others. 

However, the ending of the movie turns quite hopeful as Vidya gains her strength back. She refuses to resign out of contempt and gathers her courage to find a safe home for the cubs of the expired T12. She protects the cubs under the cover of some kind villagers and carefully veil the information from the officials, who might have otherwise trafficked or killed them too. The scene bears the essence of a mother, and what the Tigress would have done for her cubs had she been alive. This mutually shared emotion between Vidya and T12 once again forms the major arch of connecting them as the "Sherni" that the movie addresses.

It feels unfair to not mention the characters of Hassan, the selfless college professor who aided Vidya throughout her mission, and Pawan, Vidya’s ever-supportive and light-headed husband. It feels like reality when a movie with dominantly male characters has only two men feel like good people for the bare minimum they have done. Vidya is seen at her best and at her truest form of a leader with only these two men, and a few others. It was with them that her leadership was followed, respected, and trusted. If only things could be avoided from proud, empty-headed men, the story might have had a heroic plotline, quite rare in reality. This, I believe was Masurkar's aim— to keep the storyline as close as possible to reality. 

To conclude my thoughts on the film, I will go back to the opening lines of the teaser of Sherni which now make a clearer sense to the audience. The movie is entirely a picture of the Tigress, as well as of Vidya, who are both referred to as “Sherni”. It contemplates the “way” of females like the T12, of Vidya, and all of us in this world of dirty politics and corrupted men. We might find an anchor or two to hold onto, but they shall never be enough in this game of fight. More than a depiction of man versus animal, this movie speaks volumes of man versus everything else that obstructs their ways of survival. This is a dangerous path to tread, and if we’re not cautious enough, we might not survive. 

Sherni is a good watch on a Friday night with family or friends. Vidya Balan’s brilliance in her acting feels almost like a comeback. The evident low budget of the movie and cast members constituting regular rural people gives the film the raw touch of a documentary. The lingering dissatisfaction and unanswered questions at the end of the movie are what I believe Masurkar wanted to leave among his audience, for this in fact is a film to be questioned, and to find its answers is our solitary venture.