Sshhh plot
The first two segments – Kamathupaal and Reload – explore the topic of sex being a taboo and lust being looked down upon as a shame, respectively. Kamathupaal is about a science teacher who is asked to take a sex education class for her teenage students. Embarrassed by this, she has to overcome her fear, given how her students lack knowledge in the area. Reload is about two former lovers, who reconnect and in a moment of passion, share a kiss. As they talk about their respective sex lives that don’t seem to satisfy them, the night is all they have in their hands.
Sshhh review
Similar to Lust Stories in Hindi, the Tamil version, Sshh adopts an anthology format to talk about the forbidden fruit. But just like how the title attempts to highlight the silencing nature of the topic, Sshhh too becomes a mere scratch on the surface, with an underwhelming portrayal of lust and desire.
Kamathupaal is about Tarangani, a science teacher who comes from an orthodox background, and in a sudden decision by the management is asked to teach sex education to her class. The segment still rides on the concept of the teenagers believing that a kiss can make someone pregnant, which renders the narrative obsolete, at a time when the age group has enough means to be exposed in today’s social media culture and much more. The segment feels extremely forced, and caricature-like and expects the audience to buy its rudimentary explanation of the importance of sex education, when the world has already accepted the fact that knowledge is important for teenagers. Instead of highlighting how the accepted fact is still not brought to the fore completely, a repeated storytelling that capitalises on done-to-death narratives. The makers sculpting Aishwarya Dutta’s Tarangani as a stereotypical woman from a conservative background, hesitant to talk about the tabooed three-lettered-word adds no interest.
Reload is about Meera (Ineya) and Arjun (Srikanth), two former lovers who meet one evening, which rekindles their passion for each other. Adding to this, as they rue about the disinteresting sex lives each of them have with their respective partners, the ex-lovers only tend to get attracted to each other more. Again, the segment attempts to be sensualising, but the attempt remains to be a mere attempt and we never buy their chemistry. While the duo keeps spitting hard pills about their respective partners who are unable to feed into their lust and desire, the audiences are forced to root for these lovers to get back together for one night. The setting, the way the characters are asked to enact, and the possible twist that comes at the end are all predictable and sub-par. Srikanth and Ineya too seem to missing a chemistry to go along with the lines of passion they are made to read out.
Sshhh verdict
With more episodes to go, and giving the benefit of doubt, one can expect the second set of films to be more engrossing. Having said that, both Reload and Kamathupaal come at a time when the understanding on sex not being a taboo is at least orally accepted, which is yet to be taken to a practical step. Without delving into nuances, and having flatlined character arcs and concepts, the first half of Sshhh wants to be as hush about the taboo topic as the title.
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