Soni (film)

Soni
Directed by Ivan Ayr
Produced by Kimsi Singh
Kartikeya Narayan Singh
Screenplay by Ivan Ayr
Kislay
Starring Geetika Vidya Ohlyan
Saloni Batra
Cinematography David Bolen
Edited by Ivan Ayr
Production
company
Jabberwockee Talkies
The Film Cafe Production
Release date
  • 8 September 2018 (2018-09-08) (Venice)
Country India
Language Hindi

Soni is an 2018 Indian Hindi-language crime drama film edited and directed by debutant Ivan Ayr and stars Geetika Vidya Ohlyan and Saloni Batra.[1] Written by Ayar and Kislye, the film chronicles the life of a police officer and her superintendent in Delhi Police who deal with the cases regarding crimes against women.[2] It premiered in the Orrizonti (Horizons) section of the 75th Venice International Film Festival receiving a standing ovation.[3][4] The film won the Facebook Award for Best 'Work-In-Progress' project.[3] Soni will be also screened at the 2018 BFI London Film Festival in the first feature competition for Sutherland Award, the 2018 MAMI Film Festival and the 2018 Pingyao International Film Festival.[5][6][7]

Cast

  • Geetika Vidya Ohlyan as Soni
  • Saloni Batra as Kalpana

Production

Ivan Ayr did a screenwriting and direction course at San Francisco Film Society and started making short films Lost and Found and Quest for a Different Outcome after his office hours.[8] Soni was inspired by the 2012 Delhi gang rape and Ayr said that "may be the seed was sown then but it took time to settle in the subconscious."[9] Ayr said that the film deals with gender issue: "The assumption is that if they are female cops they will be in a position of power, they won’t be susceptible to everyday crimes that other women face".[9] Ayr auditioned actress for the lead roles for six months and selected Ohlyan and Batra.[9] The scenes in the film were shot in single take as Ayr wanted to "stay in a particular space and time with the characters, without the intrusion of cuts."[9] Saloni Batra auditioned for the title character but was eventually cast in the role of police superintendent Kalpana. The actors did workshops together and worked on their body language and posture. She also talked to several female police officers.[10]

The film's idea occurred to him in 2014 on which he continued to work while he was making short films. The pre-production started in November 2016; Ayr spent time with several Delhi police personnels and observed their "daily grind, the dynamics and hierarchies within". He completed the script in January 2017 and the film was shot for 24 days in Delhi in February.[9] Soni was selected by the Work In Progress Lab of National Film Development Corporation of India's Film Bazaar in November under the mentorship of French editor Jacques Comets and director Marco Mueller.[9] Ayar expressed that he was interested in "how the policewomen in Delhi were reacting to the incidents that were putting the city in what I call a spotlight of shame."[8] He said that one of the aspect that motivated him to write the script was how women in police work with their male counterparts and how they react to the cases of crime against women.[8] He requested senior officials to allow him to spend some time with their teams as they went about doing their jobs.[8] The film was mostly shot in handheld with mixture of natural and practical light sources.[11]

Reception

Jay Weissberg of Variety wrote: "An intelligent, subtle script and unobtrusively bravura camerawork are the hallmarks of this indie Indian gem about two policewomen combating harassment and gender expectations."[12] Baradwaj Rangan called it "a rare kind of feminist film" that is "less of a polemic, more of a quiet character study".[13]

References

  1. ↑ "'Soni' trailer: Ivan Ayr's debut film details the travails of a Delhi policewoman". Scroll.in. 25 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  2. ↑ bhadani, Priyanka (10 August 2018). "How does a policewoman deal with harassment? Ivan Ayr on his debut film". The Week. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Hindi film 'Soni' to compete at Venice International Film Festival". The Times of India. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  4. ↑ "Premiere Of Ivan Ayr's Debut Feature SONI Gets A Standing Ovation At The Festival". Broadway World. 8 September 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  5. ↑ Ritman, Alex (30 August 2018). "London Film Festival Reveals Full 2018 Lineup, Including Alfonso Cuaron, Keira Knightley Talks". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  6. ↑ "'Bulbul Can Sing', 'Mehsampur', 'Soni' part of Mumbai Film Festival's Indian competition section". Scroll.in. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  7. ↑ "'Vada Chennai' to be premiered at Pingyao film festival". The Hindu. 25 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Deshmukh, Muhammed (30 August 2018). "'Soni' Director Ivan Ayr Shines a Light on Delhi's Policewomen". The Quint. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Joshi, Namrata (10 August 2018). "'Soni' goes to Venice: Director Ivan Ayr's film debut". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  10. ↑ Khan, Atif (13 September 2018). "Combating expectations". The Hindu. Retrieved 15 September 2018.
  11. ↑ Mitra, Prarthana (28 August 2018). ""Soni" pushes the frontiers of female representation in Indian cinema". Qrius. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  12. ↑ Weissberg, Jay (8 September 2018). "Venice Film Review: 'Soni'". Variety. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  13. ↑ Rangan, Baradwaj (8 September 2018). "FC at Venice 2018: New Films from Zhang Yimou and 'The Babadook' Director, plus 'Soni', a Terrific Indian Drama". Film Companion. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
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