Amol Palekar-Zarina Wahab’s Gharaonda explains why love doesn’t always trump money

Directed by Bhimsain, Gharaonda (The Nest) tells the story of Sudip having an office romance with her colleague Chhaya, played by the brilliant Zarina Wahab.their date is all to have chart There’s nothing more relatable for a new middle-class couple, whether it’s walking down the street on the beach or at work. Their dreams are achievable and, simply put, they have a very middle-class nature.

Sudip and Chhaya are middle class, but the film reminds us that we exist in a world where the class divide is wide and money can solve almost all superficial but very real problems. Chhaya is routinely harassed by an aged boss named Modi, played by Sriram Raghu. She clearly reminds him of his dead wife, so he proposes to Chhaya without hesitation. Chhaya is annoyed, but well aware that ignoring this proposal of hers means he will also walk away from all the money he can provide for her family.

The film takes an important turn when Sudip hits rock bottom after losing a friend to suicide. Just like in the real world, Sudip and his friends lost their money to scammers while trying to buy a house. When his friend dies, Sudip breaks down and, at an irrational moment, tells Chhaya that he should marry Modi. Of course, he doesn’t mean it, but Chhaya does just that. Sudip begins to drown. From singing an upbeat song about finding a love nest, Sudip is now a dysfunctional man looking for a place to call home.

Shreeram Lagoo’s Modi marries a much younger Chhaya played by Zarina Wahab. (Photo: Express Archive)

As the film progresses, we continue to hope for a miracle to save Sudip financially and romantically. We are used to seeing movies as morality tales where good people are ultimately rewarded and bad people are punished in some way. He hasn’t done anything unforgivable, so his punishment feels just as unjust as it does in real life. The moneylender follows him day and night and he loses his job and way of life. When he finally asks Chhaya why she left him, she tells him that he was a broken man and at this moment he can see Sudip’s world crumbling around him. You can. She abandoned him when he needed her the most.

Garaonda takes a close look at the persistence of romantic relationships when faced with the biggest problem in the real world: money. The film doesn’t spoil the fact that financial insecurities can “fall in love” with creepy old bosses and normalize what they call harassment. There is no end. The reward he gets for enduring all of this is the courage to endure even more, which is really relatable.