Rating:
3.5/5
Star
Cast:
Richa
Chadda,
Demi
Moore,
Manoj
Bajpayee,
Freida
Pinto,
Mrunal
Thakur
Director:
Tabrez
Noorani
'Actions
speak
louder
than
words'.
A
scene
in
Love
Sonia
features
a
police
raid
at
a
brothel,
where
a
social
worker
Manish
(Rajkummar
Rao)
shouts
aloud
to
Sonia
(Mrunal
Thakur)
to
come
out
from
a
tiny,
dark
hide-out
and
embrace
her
escape
from
the
dark
world.
Instead
without
muttering
a
single
word,
the
latter
sinks
inside
further
and
refuses
the
freedom
only
a
step
away.
Just
a
few
minutes
of
this
frame
and
you
are
left
numb!
That's
the
effect
this
Tabrez
Noorani
directorial
has
on
you.
Love
Sonia
begins
with
a
terrific
shot
of
a
young
boy
showing
off
his
prized
possession
-
a
butterfly
captured
in
a
glass
jar
to
his
friends.
He
allows
them
to
let
their
cheeks
be
caressed
by
the
butterfly,
as
it
tries
to
escape
from
the
jar.
Later
in
the
film,
this
acts
as
a
metaphor
for
a
crucial
scene.
Coming
back
to
the
plot,
Sonia
(Mrunal
Thakur)
is
a
doting
sister
to
Preeti
(Riya
Sisodia).
Their
life
takes
a
brutal
turn
when
their
father
(Adil
Hussain),
an
impoverished
farmer,
sells
off
Preeti
to
a
money-lender
Dada
Thakur
(Anupam
Kher)
who
whisks
her
to
Mumbai.
When
Sonia
fails
to
get
any
news
about
her
sister's
whereabouts,
she
leaves
on
a
quest
to
bring
Preeti
back,
only
to
find
herself
tricked
into
flesh
trade
in
Mumbai.
Sonia
soon
finds
herself
at
one
of
the
brothels
owned
by
the
shrewd
Faisal
(Manoj
Bajpayee),
where
she
meets
Madhuri
(Richa
Chadha)
and
Rashmi
(Freida
Pinto)
who
make
her
aware
that
the
world
isn't
how
it
seems
to
be.
The
rest
of
the
plot
revolves
around
how
Sonia
always
looks
for
a
flicker
of
hope
in
her
worst
nightmares.
Tabreez
Noorani
needs
to
be
applauded
for
taking
up
such
a
hard-hitting
subject
when
it
came
to
his
directorial
debut.
While
we
have
seen
many
films
based
on
human
trafficking
in
the
past,
it's
the
filmmaker's
realistic
portrayal
of
the
murky
side
of
humanity
that
sets
it
apart
from
the
rest.
He
makes
you
swallow
the
bitter
pill
with
every
scene,
as
Sonia
embarks
on
a
journey
that
should
never
be
the
fate
of
any
girl
in
real
life.
On
the
flip
side,
the
screenplay
wobbles
post
the
interval
as
events
unfold
a
tad
bit
conveniently.
The
pace
of
the
film
too
might
take
a
toil
if
you
ain't
used
to
relishing
your
scenes
slowly.
Speaking
about
the
performances,
Mrunal
Thakur
makes
a
smashing
debut
with
Love
Sonia.
Devoid
of
any
vanity,
it's
her
expressive
face
which
haunts
you
for
a
long
time.
It's
not
just
she
who
feels
the
emotions
on-screen.
She
makes
you
feel
them
too!
Riya
Sisodia
plays
her
part
well,
but
fades
a
bit
when
she's
in
the
same
frame
with
Mrunal.
Manoj
Bajpayee
sends
shivers
down
your
spine
with
his
slimy
and
manipulative
character
who
doesn't
bat
an
eyelid
when
he
lets
a
girl
get
raped
just
for
a
single
puff
of
a
cigarette.
Richa
Chadha's
gut-wrenching
act
is
terrifying.
Freida
Pinto
leaves
you
shell-shocked
with
her
transformation.
However,
one
wished
that
her
role
was
a
bit
more
fleshed
out.
Adil
Hussain
too
leaves
a
mark.
Despite
a
limited
screen-time,
Rajkummar
Rao
proves
his
acting
mettle
once
again
after
Stree.
Sai
Tamhankar
packs
a
punch.
Demi
Moore's
role
is
more
like
a
cameo.
Lukasz
Bielan's
lens
perfectly
capture
the
claustrophobia
of
the
dark
underbelly
of
our
society.
Martin
Singer's
editing
could
have
been
a
little
more
sharper
to
keep
the
film
taut.
The
background
score
too
adds
layers
to
the
film.
Love
Sonia
gives
you
a
tight
punch
in
the
gut
with
its
bestial
truth,
but
at
the
same
time,
it
makes
you
realize
how
a
single
thread
of
hope
is
still
a
powerful
thing.
I
am
going
with
3.5
stars.