Soyrik review: Makarand Mane's experiment is able to keep the audience interested

After the stupendous success achieved by Nagraj Popatrao Manjule’s Sairat (2016), there has been a long line of Marathi films based on the same concept of a guy from a lower caste or class in love with a girl from a higher caste or class.

On the surface, Makarand Mane’s Soyrik is also about two youngsters from different strata of society deeply in love. However, the narrative style, presentation, treatment and, most importantly, story development do not bring to mind Sairat or any of the other films with a similar premise.

Soyrik takes place in a newly inaugurated police station somewhere in the interiors of Maharashtra. The station is headed by an inspector (Shashank Shende). Chhaya Kadam plays a woman constable, and a few other personnel are posted at the station.

As soon as the police station is inaugurated, a young man (Nitin Chavan) and a young woman (Manasi Bhavalkar) arrive, announcing that they have eloped and had a civil marriage and want protection from their families. Both the man and the woman had been forced to marry someone else by their respective families.

The inspector, however, calls both families to the police station. Chaos ensues as the families clash and the police station resembles a battlefield with the newlyweds watching helplessly, wondering if this is the end of their love story.

There are no character names mentioned in the synopsis above because none of the characters in the film has a name. Soyrik is an experimental film made without a formal script. The film has been shot on the basis of an idea in a bungalow which was converted into a police station. The production designer has ensured that the place actually feels like a police station.

The filmmaker have taken the experimental route even in terms of the narrative. The audience isn’t shown even a glimpse of the lead couple falling in love or anything about their lives before they land up at the police station. Despite that, the characters and the deep love they share are established swiftly, right at the start.

Interestingly, there is no major plot development either, until the final moments. The film is more character-driven. It presents a complex situation and observes how each character in the story reacts to it. The act of elopement by the lead couple and its consequences in terms of the reactions of the different characters keep the viewer glued to the goings-on, except for a few moments in the second half when the pace flags.

For such experimental films, it is vital that the performers leave no stone unturned and that’s exactly the case with Soyrik. Newcomers Nitin Chavan and Manasi Bhavalkar are thoroughly believable as a helpless young couple deeply in love. Shashank Shende doesn’t get to do much in the first half but shines later on, especially when we see a different side of the inspector's character.

Chhaya Kadam mostly speaks through expressions in the initial portions, conveying her inner feelings perfectly. And she is superb when her character becomes more prominent. Yogesh Nikam is threatening as the antagonist. Priyadarshini Indalkar and Virat Madake provide some light moments through their endearing characters. Umesh Jagtap, who only has a song appearance, is brilliant as a transgender.

As the film progresses, particularly in the second half, you start expecting Soyrik to end in a certain way. If you do, the finale will take you by surprise. Some might find it filmi, but it worked for this reviewer. What's more, the story doesn’t end there as the makers indirectly announce a sequel.

Soyrik was released in theatres on 11 February 2022.