Sumo Didi REVIEW: An Inspirational Story That Sadly Doesn’t Land

Film:
Sumo Didi

Director: Jayant Rohatgi

Writer: Anish Diddee, Ajay Gahlaut, Nikhil Sachan

Cast: Shriyam Bhagnani, Chaitnya Sharma, Nitesh Pandey, Anubha Fatehpuria, Raghav Dhir, Kazumasa Sato

Runtime: 118 Minutes (1 Hour, 58 Minutes)

Platform: ZEE5 Hindi

Sumo Didi Review

Sumo Didi is based on the life of Hetal Dave and the struggles she faced in her journey to become India’s only professional female sumo wrestler to date. The biographical sports drama – yes, it has everyday family drama alongside her dealing with weight shaming and body image comments, beautifully captures Hetal’s journey from being a ‘big’ middle class girl from a conservative household to discovering sumo wrestling by chance and thereafter winning medals for India.

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Sumo Didi follows Hetal Dave (Shriyam Bhagnani), a once in shape girl who is now overweight due to PCOD. Ever since putting on weight, her mother – who is very bothered by ‘log kya kahege.’ has just one mission – make Hetal loose weight and get her married. Hetal – with the help of her supporting father Rajendra (Nitesh Pandey), brother Vikku (Raghav Dhir) and best friend Akshat (Chaitnya Sharma), wants to make a name for herself and not be reduced to the tags given to her society.

The storytelling is simple and is sure to inspire people – especially women, to not let society dictate who and what they can and cannot be but to do what they dream and achieve it. But is it worth a watch? Read our Sumo Didi review to know the answer.

What Works

The simple story telling and real performances by the entire cast click.

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What Doesn’t Work

There’s too much happening. While we understand that the makers want to show all the aspects of Hetal’s life, the focus on social issues – like what women face when they do something that is against what society normalises, moves the focus from her professional achievements. Also, the pacing is slow and will make you wonder when the film end.

Technical Analysis

Direction

Jayant Rohatgi’s direction is okay but seems flat. It doesn’t mercenarily add anything to make it engaging.

Story, Screenplay & Dialogues

The simple writing is a plus and Anish Diddee, Ajay Gahlaut & Nikhil Sachan deserves credit for it. However, it’s not something to deserve a round of applause.

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Music

The music is okay but doesn’t stick once the credits roll in. When it comes to the background score, it helps in adding a layer of emotions but is not something that sticks.

Star Cast

Shriyam Bhagnani has delivered a commendable performance as Hetal Dave. Her earnest performance is evident of the hard work she put into bring the character to life. Chaitnya Sharma deserves love for his performance as Akshat. The chemistry the duo share is kept real and they bring it to life beautifully.

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Nitesh Pandey as Rajendra and Raghav Dhir as Vikku are the best support systems a girls can ask for. The other supporting cast also do a good enough job.

Conclusion

Sumo Didi is a one time watch. If you have the time and want to watch a feel-good sports drama on OTT, do give this a watch. Else, you can skip it. It won’t be a loss.

Watch the trailer of Sumo Didi here:

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Also Read: Nayyi Navelli REVIEW: Rooted In Devotion, Yami Gautam’s Ramayan-Inspired Tale Delivers A Touching, Divine Experience

Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.