Y

Story: Interwoven stories of different people bring forth the societal issue of female foeticide and gender determination in this film

Review: There's a conversation in Y where the doctor says that no doctor goes to a house and asks if he should reveal the gender of the unborn child, and if it's a female, should he kill the foetus. This line shows a mirror to society and brings forth the fact that a family, the society and even the parents of the unborn child are equally responsible for the prevalence of female foeticide in the country even today.

Call it the lack of fear among people about legal action, or a collective neglect about the rules, but the fact that a film needs to be made on the issue of gender determination and female foeticide, both punishable offences in India, in 2022 says it all. Director Ajit Wadikar's Y is an important film, not just because of the topic, but also because of the way it is made. Multiple incidents happening parallelly around the characters of the film comprise the story of the film. These sub-stories, though parallel, speak about the same thing and make a lasting impact.

Dr Aarti Deshmukh (Mukta Barve) is a government medical officer appointed to investigate and take action against hospitals and doctors involved in the above illegal practices in a place called Bishrampur. Dr Purushottam Gaikwad (Nandu Madhav) is one such doctor. How does Aarti deal with this issue and Purushottam, is what is shown in the film, Simultaneously, other stories unfold to showcase the different angles involved in this racket.

Since the topic requires sensible handling, the makers don't go overboard with drama. That drives home the point in a very good way, making you stop and think. Mukta, Nandu and Suhas Shirsath, who plays Nandu's associate in the film, have done fantastic work. Prajakta Mali and Sandeep Pathak are good too. However, their characters are lost due to poor writing. The film's editing is another issue that hampers its flow. In an attempt to reduce the running time, many scenes are left hanging. All said and done though, Y, which derives its name from the Y is a film that conveys an important message and should be watched for that.