‘Not Today’, A Well-intentioned Movie to Reassure Life

Warning: This review discusses suicide;  Not Today has multiple verbal references to suicide and viewer discretion is advised.

MUHAMMED NOUSHAD

As its compelling dedication states, “For those that we have lost; for those that we can still save,” Not Today strives to honour its message—that there is always someone to listen and support even if you are at the lowest edges of life-ending despair. Life is worth giving another chance; reach out and seek help, as Ashwin Mathur does in the movie.

Suicide is not a subject that commercial cinema can easily talk about, as director Aditya Kripalani mentioned in an interview. There is nothing colourful or marketable – at least in the conventional sense – about this bleak and distressing subject. And remember, India has the infamous record of having the highest number of suicides in the world, as per our own official data. And our student suicides have surpassed population growth and overall suicide trends, including farmer suicides. In other words, arguably, suicide is the most significant public health crisis India is facing now. It’s in this context that Not Today deserves a little more attention.

Kripalani presents two profound characters, Aliah Rupawala and Ashwin Mathur, to tell a story of life’s triumph over despair and demise. The predictability of the story, in terms of the storytelling aesthetics, can be a challenge; however, the movie somehow manages to engage the audience till the end, as both characters have backstories to reveal, traumas to heal and bondings to build.

Aliah is a 24-year-old girl from a traditional Bohra family, who secretly joins a suicide prevention helpline. Her first day itself takes her to attend the desperate call of a stranger called Ashwin, who is on a rooftop, ready to jump and end his life. Sensitive and empathetic, Aliah defies the rules taught by her boss and gets emotionally involved, making it very personal. Then the movie is about their prolonged and critical conversation, over the phone, exchanging their vulnerabilities and past wounds. A professional call between two strangers slowly and convincingly turns into an intense personal conversation; two poignant souls trying to reassure each other.

Despite all good intentions and commendable storytelling skills through phased revelations of the protagonists’ inner worlds, we wish we were saved from the occasional melodrama, especially in detailing the male protagonist. Another thing we miss is the complexity of a city like Mumbai — other potential layers of the story world are absent. We wonder, was this level of minimalism deliberate?   

However, interestingly, the movie offers a few vital questions about the professional protocols of suicide prevention services and they serve as a subtle reminder of the wider pathologies of psychotherapy in our times.

Another important aspect of the movie is that its heroine hails from the Bohra community, a minority within the minority, and one of the most underrepresented communities in popular culture. Bohras are often stereotyped as wealthy merchants and as a close-knit cult with obscurantist practices like khatna (female genital mutilation). Although the movie is least concerned about the Bohra community or its culture, except for depicting occasional scenes like Aliah bidding adieu to her adopted parents and visiting a graveyard, it does give insights into the struggle the community’s multiple generations have had between tradition and modernity. For instance, despite wearing rida (traditional purdah), Aliah is an atheist and follows Western tastes and sensibilities, whether it be smoking or music. However, in the current political setting where cultural differences are being fiercely erased, placing a Bohri girl in the central role and normalising her deserves applause. 

Rucha Inamdar and Harsh Chhaya have offered soulful performances that bring us closer to the characters’ emotions.  Not Today serves as a strong reminder of the pressing crisis of alarming suicide trends in our country and hence needs to be talked about.

[This review was originally published in Maktoob Media: https://maktoobmedia.com/opinion/not-today-a-well-intentioned-movie-to-reassure-life/ ]