Vidya Balan-starrer Sherni is a realistic drama that tells a significant tale of our times

Mona

This man-animal conflict pans out in the heart of India — Madhya Pradesh. Vidya Vincent, played by Vidya Balan, is the new DFO (divisional forest officer), who joins field duty with water holes running dry and a lioness on the prowl, but her efforts to set things right are opposed by corrupt officials. This tale of conflict between forest friends and the hunters plays out in the backdrop of an election campaign.

The director Amit Masurkar (with Newton to his credit) beautifully builds the life of forest officials – the responsibility they carry on their shoulders, innocent fun they have with families and their passion for the job. The plot takes forward the tussle between Vidya and Pintu bhaiya (Sharat Saxena) — the hunter. She wants to save the sherni T12, who has allegedly tuned a man-eater, but Pintu bhaiya, a ruthless hunter, is the fourth generation who would bend all the rules to advance his kill tally. If Vidya plays the no-nonsense, capable and credible forest officer, a hard taskmaster, she is also a tough wife. She’s ably supported by Hassan Noorani (Vijay Raaz) in her mission.

While T12 is the sherni around whom the story revolves, she is not the only one. Vidya Vincent, an honest officer, is another sherni working towards the good of all, and so is Pinky, a progressive tribal woman who is a part of the village committee. Then there are as many women matching steps with men, protecting the forests and animals by putting in days and nights of dedicated work. Till these shernis are around, no amount of policy failure will deter them.

Rather than just one conflict, the film that’s streaming on Amazon Prime, gives a peep into larger issues — mining and other development works that are depleting the natural zones of the tigers; policy failure, sensational media and corruption. However, at its heart, the film remains a story of a woman charting her own path through all the challenges.

Kudos to Balan for taking up subjects that matter. If you expect a lot of wildlife in this one, let us be clear — it’s a human drama. But the wildlife lovers may relive their national park adventures in glimpses — the dense tranquil jungle, gently flowing streams, deer in sight and the tigress! It’s no-nonsense, no-frill portrayal of the natural world. The music aids this drama — at some places jungle sounds are captured beautifully. It’s not just a story but an important one — if there is tiger, there is jungle; if there is jungle, there is rain; if there is rain, there are humans… Simple yet significant lines spoken by a village boy!