Santosh

Santosh is two movies. The first is rooted in how Santosh, meaning “contentment” or “happiness”, is traditionally a man’s name. This underdog movie is about Santosh Saini (Shahana Goswami), a 28-year-old widow who inherits her late husband’s police job. As a new woman constable, Santosh strives to make a name in the notoriously masculine field of law enforcement. She finds a mentor in Geeta Sharma (Sunita Rajwar), a veteran cop who has over the years become a symbol of feminism and gender empowerment. Together, they investigate the brutal rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl. Santosh impresses her superiors, transcends her “compassionate appointment” (or bereavement quota) image, reclaims her own identity, and chases the case. This is the film that a specific India believes in: an inspiring coming-of-age story, a narrative of human fortitude, a gritty tale of patriarchy smashing and female agency. Santosh herself believes in it. It’s her against the world. But this is also the film that’s sold to this India. One that’s bereft of complexity, truth, ambiguity and labels. Ignorance, as they say, is bliss — or contentment.

A few years ago, there was an uproar over a scene of sustained violence in director Kathryn Bigelow’s Detroit, a period crime drama about a real-life incident that led to the deaths of three young men. The controversial scene unfolded across several uncomfortable minutes, and showed a group of white police officers beat down a lineup of innocent Black men. Bigelow didn’t avert her eyes from the horror, and instead, caught the audience by the scruff of the neck and made them watch. The film’s examination of ingrained racism, police brutality, and the systemic oppression of minorities drew parallels to modern-day America, but it also divided audiences. Director Sandhya Suri’s Santosh, which was screened at the recent Dharamshala International Film Festival, unpacks similar themes, but in the context of contemporary north India. Like Detroit, it pivots on a scene of unrelenting brutality that transforms it from a standard police procedural into something more haunting.

Documentarian Sandhya Suri’s feature debut, Santosh, revolves around a widow who is trying to find her feet after her husband’s untimely death. The simple narrative evolves into a more complex police procedural that will leave you unsettled by the end of it. Starring Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar, Santosh had its world premiere in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival this year. It is also the UK’s official Oscar entry for Best International Feature for 2025.

Santosh which has been making rounds in the top film festivals including Cannes is by the British-Indian director Sandhya Suri. Focusing on the state of rural India through the eyes of a young femal cop, the film is is Suri’s first fiction feature, which can be seen in its rawness and sincerity. The film is led by Shahana Goswami and Sunita Rajwar as cops on the other side of the law, and their performances are unforgettable.