Film Review: Nayantara's Necklace

Nayantara’s Necklace, a 20 minute short film, was released in October 2015. Chances are, many have already watched it, and I had too. But then I watched it again, only because I had promised Large Short Films to review it. And am I glad I did.

The story is about an unlikely friendship between two women – Nayantara and Alka – played beautifully by the talented leads, Konkana Sen Sharma and Tilotama Shome. Thrown together because their sons go to school together, they are clearly outside their comfort zones with each other. Their seemingly new friendship finds the well–travelled and luxury loving Nayantara taking on the role of Alka’s guide, for her friendly meeting with an old classmate. Alka on her part is an innocent and wide-eyed homemaker, who quickly laps up Nayantara’s advise on wining, dining and more, as an escape from her completely mundane life.

The focus of the story is on Alka’s attempts at transformation as she aspires to be more Nayantara like. It is not an uncommon theme that a protagonist with a simple life aspires the high life. The difference here, is in the treatment. Nayantara’s necklace becomes not just a friendly gesture towards Alka, but like a magic talisman that almost turns Alka into Nayantara.

But ultimately, the film is about two women who are completely at sea, despite the seeming stability of a home and family. Both of them want to escape the monotony imposed on them by their existences. One wants to escape, because she has not known anything else in her life and the other, because the situation seems to have imposed itself on her. 

But is an escape possible? And at what cost?

The film’s answers are very black and white, but it does leave you wondering about how there could be so many shades of grey in the answer. The answers will, more likely be grey in a real life situation. 

Nonetheless, it does raise the question: To what extent are our choices are own? Or do we really even have a choice? Also, from a strictly female perspective, it is an interesting thought experiment as to whether and how it could have been different if the genders were reversed.

Nayantara’s Necklace will leave you with questions and with some sadness. In its short span, the film manages to touch you, which is its achievement.