Does Esha Deol's Ek Duaa Do Justice To The Stark Issue Of Female Foeticide?

Ek Duaa review: Directed by Ram Kamal Mukherjee, the short film Ek Duaa features Esha Deol and Rajveer Ankur Singh in the lead roles.

It also stars child actors Barbiee Sharma and Shreyansh Nick Nag. Set in a predominantly Muslim Mumbai neighbourhood the film deals with the issue of female foeticide in India.

Abida (Esha Deol) comes from a conservative Muslim family. Her husband Suleman (Rajveer Ankur Singh) works as a taxi driver and struggles to make ends meet, while she stays back to take care of her mother-in-law. In the first few minutes, the audience is introduced to the family's debt-ridden situation. As the film proceeds, we see how there is rampant discrimination against the girl child of the family and affection towards the male child. Abida tries to do her bit in ending this discrimination. Her mother-in-law demands that she gives birth to another son so that there could be an addition in the labour force at home. Though a somewhat cliché theme, it still asks a few relevant questions.

The characters appear "too perfect" with clothes, makeup and hair given their financial condition. Except for Suleman, who says that there is a shortage of money, it does not reflect on other characters.

The issue of female foeticide however, is dealt with care. But at the same time, one cannot see any freshness in the direction. The slow- moving screenplay can make it monotonous for the viewers.

&ab_channel=Voot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch the trailer of Ek Duaa here:

The acting also seems to be unconvincing on the part of the characters. The addition of a song in a 45-minute-long movie could have been done away with. But it provides a much-needed break from the otherwise dark narrative that captures a serious issue. The climax does not make much of an impression. A poem recited by Abhishek Bachchan drives home the moot point But overall, it appears to be an average attempt by Kamal Mukherjee and the team.

Torn between her love for her daughter and her duty towards her family, what will Abida do when her own family turns their back on little Duaa?

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The views expressed are the author's own.