There are only a few Bollywood movies that we know are headlined by actresses. If you think Bollywood actresses cannot carry off an entire movie on their shoulders, watch Chhatriwali on Zee5. Headlined by Rakul Preet Singh, the movie revolves around breaking stereotypes and speaking about condoms without them being taboo. While we like to use fancy terms for condoms like a 'balloon' or a 'chhatri', Chhatriwali is here to go in-depth about why using and talking about condoms is not taboo.

Chhatriwali Plot

Chhariwali revolves around a girl next-door Sania Dhingra (Rakul Preet) who belongs to a small town Karnal and is desperately looking for a well-paying job to be independent. While she goes around tutoring school kids in her locality, it meagrely fetches her any money. Highly focused on fetching a decent job, she hops on from one interview to another but finds no luck. One fine day she has a chance to meet with Ratan Lamba (Satish Kaushik) who is highly impressed by her knowledge of chemistry.

Lamba immediately offers Sania the job of Quality Control Head at his company but the only catch here is he owns a condom-making company, Condo Condoms, in Karnal. While Sania contemplates taking up the job, the tempting salary forces her to say yes. But you know what they say - charity begins at home. Chhatriwali is the classic case of spreading awareness in society but there's a lack of awareness within the four walls you live in.

When she realizes the importance of a condom, Sania tries to convey the same to her husband Rishi Kalra (Sumeet Vyas) who feels using a condom is like 'raincoat pehenke baarish mein bheegne ka kya mazaa.' While Sania is on a mission to convey how condoms are not just used to prevent pregnancies, she is on a mission to make an impact on conventional society.

What Worked

The performances! We'll say this again and again - Rakul Preet Singh ate the movie and how. The Chhatriwali was carried off Chhatriwali on her shoulders. Playing the girl-next-door, which she has played quite a few times in her short career, is a delight to watch. Sumeet Vyas proves he is a rising star and blends into his character effortlessly. Adding that little masala to the film is Satish Kaushik with his expertise in pulling off character roles.

What Went Downhill

It isn't the first time Bollywood has produced a movie that revolves around a delicate topic like this. We've had Aparshakti Khurrana's Helmet, which dealt with the subject in a humorous way, and Nusshratt Bharuccha's Janhit Mein Jaari, which pressed on the seriousness of the issues.

While Chhatriwali addresses the issue, it fails to convey a message either way. The Tejas Vijay Deoskar directorial is more of a family problem than becoming a societal or rather universal issue.

The Final Verdict

Chhatriwali is a must-watch if you've ticked every interesting movie or web series off of your list. If executed rightly, the movie would've bought it home with a big 4 stars. However, Radio City's verdict would be 2.5 stars, solely for the performances.