Directed by director Rahul Shanklia, the film ‘Nakhrewali’ tries to bring some very important and serious issues of the society on the screen in a light-hearted manner. Set in the backdrop of a small town in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi University, the film is a story that has noble and progressive intentions, but fails to impress the audience to its full potential due to a weak script and outdated film formula. Releasing in theaters on October 30, 2026, the film interspersed with humor questions society’s repressive and patriarchal attitudes towards women.
Storyline: From Hardoi to Delhi and the journey to becoming ‘Sumita’
The story of the film revolves around Sumit Mishra (Ansh Duggal), who along with his trusted friend Jhari (Akash Makhija) moves from Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh to study at Delhi University. Stepping into a completely new and modern cultural environment, Sumit finds himself caught between two different worlds. At the invitation of his DU batchmate Mihika (Ayushi Verma), he becomes part of an English-speaking upper-class group and is impressed by their luxurious lifestyle. Meanwhile, he starts living as a tenant in Paridhi’s (Pragti Srivastava) house.
The real turning point in the story comes when Paridhi initiates her intimacy during a casual conversation, and it is here that the patriarchal thoughts hidden within Sumit come out into the open. He judges Paridhi for openly expressing his sexual desires, angering Paridhi and breaking all ties with her. After losing Paridhi, Sumit realizes his mistake and proposes to her.
But Paridhi’s parents set a strict condition for her: she has to get a government job within a month. Amid setbacks and time constraints, Sumit impersonates ‘Sumita Mishra’ to get a government job reserved for women, and this is where a classic ‘comedy-of-errors’ based on misunderstandings begins.
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Forward thinking and good intentions, but implementation is weak
Writers Divya Nidhi Sharma and Satya Vyas and director Rahul Shankhalya have crafted ‘Nakhrewali’ with very noble and socially conscious intentions. The film touches on several serious issues that are still deeply rooted in our society:
Patriarchal Thinking and Misbehavior: Conservatism towards women and attitudes that stifle their freedom have been questioned.
Importance of consent: The modern lifestyle of women is exposed in the film as an ‘open invitation’ to wrong and dangerous mentality or their natural friendship with men.
Daily hassles: Through Sumit’s journey to becoming ‘Sumita’, the everyday petty threats, harassment and treatment of women as mere ‘objects’ that women face on a daily basis is brought to light.
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However, despite choosing such good and relevant subjects, the film falls victim to the clichéd film formula. The concept of ‘cross-dressing’ is not new to Hindi cinema – it has been seen to great effect in films like ‘Chachi 420’, ‘Aunt No 1’ and ‘Dream Girl’. To make this formula relevant in today’s times requires very sharp and unique writing. On the contrary, the film relies heavily on chaos and forced slapstick gags (high comedy scenes).
Acting and the efforts of artists
The cast of the film, on their part, have tried to act honestly despite the limitations of the script:
Main pair: Ansh Duggal and Pragati Srivastava have tried their best to handle a simple love story and its ups and downs. Pragati has played Paridhi’s self-esteem and poise well.
Supporting Actor: Akash Makhija has shown excellent comic timing in the character of ‘Jhari’, who brings good energy as soon as he comes on screen.
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Experienced Artist’s Magic: Even in their short screen time, veteran actors Kumud Mishra and Brijendra Kala create a panache and tension in the film with their masterful acting skills and comic timing. Gopal Dutt was impressive as Paridhi’s father ‘Batuk’; Although her character did not get much elaboration, she made the scenes quite entertaining with her natural acting. Ayushi Verma has also played her role with full dedication.
Technical side and music
On the technical front, ‘Nakhrewali’ does not impress much. The adaptation of the small town youth in the urban environment of Delhi could have made for a very interesting and deep story, but the director was only able to present it as a superficial and artificial depiction.
The music of the film is quite weak. Its songs neither help to move the story forward nor stick in the minds of the audience for long. The background score also feels too noisy at places, which sometimes irritates the comedic scenes rather than making them more effective.
conclusion
‘Nakhrewali’ is a film that has good ideas at its heart and good intentions to improve the society. It wants to talk about important issues like ‘consensus’ and society’s double standards. But, due to its over-reliance on clichéd characters, weak comedy and repetitive situations, the film fails to leave a deep or lasting impression on the audience. If you are looking for a light comedy worth watching once without any high expectations, this movie can entertain you.