•Sherni- a harrowing tale of a woman's battle with patriarchy and politics•
Sherni on the surface narrates the tale of a man-eater tigress who poses threat to a village situated in the vicinity of Madhya Pradesh but deep down it is steeped in intense patriarchy evident in the journey that the protagonist Vidya Vincent traverses in order to accomplish her mission.
Vidya's resistance in the form of her non-retaliation towards the whims of the local politicians who intervened in her job to satiate their own political interests though portrayed her as an epitome of resilience yet it proved once again that power and patriarchy are directly proportional.
Bansal's (the head of the forest department) appeasement of the political leaders by turning a blind eye to pleas of the Vidya regarding the plights of the villagers who were robbed off from their grazing lands for their livestock reflects how politics has lead to the debasement of their actual principles of wildlife conservation.
Amidst the insanity of this male-dominated environment the only sane people are Hasan Noorani and Vidya. Hasan Noorani who always served as Vidya's ally in helping to impart knowledge on wildlife conservation to the villagers, through his selfless devotion towards his passion left an indelible mark in our hearts.
Although Noorani's passion was always belitted by Bansal who labelled him as a mere 'butterfly expert', ironically he was the only one whose knowledge and strategies were of use to Vidya and on whom she could rely completely despite having a team of her own.
The quest of the pompous hunter backed up by the local politicians was a symbolical presentation of how human beings are more detrimental to wildlife than a 'female feline' is to humans.
The scenes of continuous political raucous infusing inside the village inhabitants a fire of rebellion to raise their voice against the forest department and Vidya's assurance that they are trying their best to entrap the tigress vividly portrays the turmoil of government job in places dominated by power game of politics.
Vidya though is a woman of few words, her actions speak volumes of the burning fire of protest lurking inside her. From arranging for a new job(sewing) for the women of the village to rescuing the tiger cubs with the help of village volunteers, Vidya defied patriarchy in her own way.
Sherni not only revolves around a man versus wild combat it unfurls a woman's battle with patriarchal dominance that deflects the purpose of her mission. Although Vidya Vincent couldn't accomplish her mission of rescuing the tigress from the pangs of the hunter yet her one reply to her old-time mentor Nangia that "You're pathetic" was a tight slap on the faces of those condescending men.
The consequences that Vidya faced exhibiting her dauntless bravery indeed sliced our hearts with grief and disgust witnessing injustice overpowering justice but Vidya will be forever remembered as a superwoman for her contribution towards the preservation of wildlife.
Sherni thus simultaneously depicts the stories of two Shernis, one of a tigress and the other of a suppressed tigress disguised in a woman. Vidya is different from the conventional heroines since through the hardships she endured for her job as the DFO and through her subtle protests, she has engraved her tale in our minds as an unsung heroine of modern times.
Srilekha Mitra
