Film: "Sui Dhaaga: Made In India"; Director: Sharat Katariya; Cast: Varun Dhawan, Anushka Sharma, Raghubir Yadav and Namit Das; Rating: **1/2

All without doubt, "Sui Dhaaga" is a sweet, warm-hearted and inspirational film set in the world of working class India. It is a formulaic, feel-good film portraying the travails of a self-made entrepreneur.

Made with simplicity that would appeal to the downtrodden, the film seems pretty firmly aimed at this segment and below. It portrays the difficulties in the real world and sows the seeds of self-employment or entrepreneurship.

Starting on a low-key note in a small town in India, the film follows the life of Mauji (Varun Dhawan), a contented person working as an all-rounder, handyman in a shop selling sewing machines.

"Haanji, sab badhiya hai," is his mantra of coexistence. Till one fine day, his wife Mamta (Anushka Sharma) sees him clowning at a wedding reception on his boss' insistence.

Hurt, she instigates him to live a life of dignity. She tells him to do what he is good at. "So what if we earn a little less," she further coaxes him to take up stitching, after he successfully alters her blouse.

The following day, Mauji kicks his job, picks up his neighbour's sewing machine which is lying in his house and plonks himself on the streetside hoping to be self-employed. How he cuts the barriers to be an entrepreneur designing clothes with a "Made In India" label, forms the crux of the tale.

While the film tries to give you a realistic view of real life, the writing is what lets it down. The narrative is all glossed-up. It goes overboard with melodrama, the hero's struggle is formulaic and the silver lining predictable. The director has taken cinematic liberties to propel the narrative, making the film lose its sheen and emotional connect.

Varun Dhawan as Mauji and Anushka Sharma as Mamta look an odd couple from the very beginning and that's what makes them appealing. They are both sincere in their projection and you feel their pain and pangs during the course of time. How their relationship blossoms is what makes you want to watch them further.

The duo is aptly supported by a set of talented actors who live their roles to perfection. Each one of them have their moments of onscreen glory.

Coming from the stable of Yash Raj Films, the movie is astutely mounted with ace technical and production values. The music is seamlessly integrated into the narrative, but the background score at times is a bit jarring, with western instruments inconsistently blaring in a rural Indian tale.

Overall, albeit heart-warming, there are other inspirational stories that are boundlessly better.

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Kolkata, May 18: In a veiled reference to West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish him politically and his party in the state.

His comment comes hours after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge asserted that Chowdhury is no one to take a decision on whether Banerjee would be part of the INDIA bloc in the event of the anti-BJP alliance coming to power after the Lok Sabha polls.

Asked about Kharge’s statement, Chowdhury, who is seeking re-election from Baharampur on a Congress ticket, said, “I cannot speak in favour of someone who wants to finish me politically and our party in Bengal. This is a battle for every Congress worker. I have spoken on their behalf.”

Stating that his opposition to Banerjee stemmed from his principled stance, not from his interest, Chowdhury said “There is no personal grudge but I question her political ethics."

Asked about Mamata Banerjee's comment that she will support the INDIA bloc government from the outside and Chowdhury's remark that the Bengal CM cannot be trusted and she might go with the BJP, Kharge told reporters, "Mamata Banerjee is with the alliance. She has recently said that she will join the government. Adhir Ranjan Chowdhary will not take the decision. The decision will be taken by me and the high command those who don't agree will go out."

Chowdhury also alleged that Banerjee had "taken Maoists' help to discredit the Left in Purulia, Bankura and Jhargram and then abandoned them.

“I don’t want the state Congress to be used for her personal agenda and then finish the organisation. If Kharge ji speaks against my views, I will continue to speak for Congressmen at the grassroots in the state.”

The TMC is contesting the Lok Sabha elections alone in the state, while the Congress and the Left are jointly fighting.