Choked Review: Anurag Kashyap's money drama is a failed choreographed move on Modi's demonetisation

Director Anurag Kashyap's latest offering, Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai, has been making the headlines ever since it was announced.  From everyday problem of the common man to the black market schemes Kashyap's Netflix drama is a hush hush affair which simply fails to consolidate into compact and crisp drama. The story reminds of the everyday struggle of the layman and how a sudden burst of money flowing from unexpected quarters changes their lives forms the main plot. The money drama is about  Sarita and Sushant, migrants in Mumbai from Konkan and Karnataka, who are choking under the burden of a financially fragile life. The dreams – of becoming a singer and a musician respectively – with which they had come to Mumbai has faded long back in just an attempt to make a decent living. Over the years the financial burden seems to have taken the shine of their love. 

However, soon something unexpected happens as bunch of cash start spewing out of Sarita’s mushy kitchen sink pipe. The sudden flow of money brings about a new change in her life and the miser Sarita soon begins spending money like there is no tomorrow. However all hells break loose after Modi announces demonetisation. Sushant, with little  money in his pocket, celebrates the smart move by the govt, as he predicts   hoards of black money to come out from the closet of the rich. Sarita gets buried in work – with the huge  transactions happening in her bank even as she keeps plotting the way to exchange her own old currency notes. Kashyap and writer Nihit Bhave appear to be making statement about Narendra Modi's decision in 2016 to demonetize select Indian currency notes — the point being that the corrupt and the powerful found their way around it, while ordinary citizens suffered. In the entire film there are two two recurring shots: a drain pipe that flows over like an oil well, and Sarita's  counting notes. which is sure to leave you unimpressed. For those searching for an perfect Kashyap film the director's latest venture leaves a lot questions unanswered along with a wafer thin plot which is a bit unusual for Kashyap fans.  Chocked is currently streaming on Netflix.  Watch the trailer of the film here...