Shastry Viruddh Shastry discusses a common subject in our country – parents vs grandparents! Most of the time, though grandparents contribute the most in raising a kid when the parents are working, there is no debate about the custody of the child. It, unquestionably, is the parents’ right.
In Shastry Viruddh Shastry, when the parents, who had given the legal guardianship to their ageing parents/parents-in-law when their baby was a few months old, wants the child back now as he is old enough to take care of himself. While the grandparents keep avoiding this discussion, as and when the parents bring it up, the grandfather, Guruji loses it when his son breaks the news of taking up a business opportunity in the US and moving out of India with his family – including his son, the 7 year old Momoji.
Guruji, then with the help of his advocate friend, files a case against his own son, for full guardianship of his grandson. What’s good about this film is that more than making it a parents vs grandparents issues, the film has clearly made this an ego battle between two men – Guruji, who has lost his elder son to suicide and Momoji’s father, who is still looking for validation from his father.
With his sons being unhappy with their fathers’ upbringing, where it led to one son taking his own life, how will the court give him the grandson’s guardianship considering this is what is best for the child? On the other hand, Momoji’s father, a heavy drinker, who is now also jobless, doesn’t have a stable career. In that case, how can the court give him his son’s custody knowing the kid’s future might not be as safe with the father as it is with the grandparents?
In Shastry Viruddh Shastry, no sides have been taken and hence, when you watch the movie, the only solution you see, as a viewer is – raise that kid together! He needs grandparents as well as his own parents for an emotionally and mentally sound life, even as a grown up.
What conclusion the court comes to and what transpires after the verdict is interesting to watch. Now that the movie is released multiple times – in theatres, on OTT, in Bengali and in Hindi, I think it’s okay to share that the film, fortunately, has a happy ending. For some movies, though predictable, that is how it should be.
So, if you are looking for a film that you can watch with your entire family, Shastry Viruddh Shastry is your go-to film.
