Watching a protagonist in real and relatable skin in a Hindi film was as rare as unicorn spotting until I watched Onir’s Kuch Bheege Alfaaz. This Zain Khan Durrani and Geetanjali Thapa-starrer is primarily a romantic drama that accentuates an old-school romance in the age of social media (how ironic), yet there’s something that sets it apart.

The character of Archana AKA Archie, essayed by Thapa, is an uber-confident woman who bravely faces insecurities around her Vitiligo patches without shying away from truly living her life. For the unversed, Vitiligo is an incurable skin condition where one faces the loss of skin colour in patches.

The film navigates her life and how after tons of disappointing dates on Tinder, she finally stumbles upon RJ Alfaaz (Durrani), thanks to a misdirected phone call. The plot thickens as we realize that Archie is already a die-hard fan of RJ Afaaz and is unaware that she is conversing with the same person.

The appeal of this movie is that it accentuates the significance of conversations—which are often with shayri in this case—that deepen their bond. Props to Durrani’s orgasm-inducing voice (as admitted by Archie in the film). 

Coming back to Archie- her persona exudes vibrancy and she wears a smile that can literally brighten anyone’s day. When there is a dearth in the depiction of vitiligo warriors in pop culture, it’s refreshing to have a protagonist who does not conceal her white patches behind layers of make-up in order to live up to the unreasonable standards. 

The movie also traverses through the maze of suffering, grief, regret, shortcomings, flaws, and loneliness that nobody in this world is spared from. Archie embraces her flaws, which is the exact meaning of living a flawless life. Don’t you think that this world will become a happier place if we also start celebrating imperfections?

While we applaud the film for giving us a confident character suffering from Vitiligo, it also deserves the brickbats for not casting a real Vitiligo warrior in the lead role. Did it not defeat the entire purpose of the film? 

Nonetheless, the film’s baby steps in bringing the conversation into the mainstream cannot be overlooked. In a poignant scene, Archie expresses to Alfaaz on a phone call about her condition hits the right note and made us truly empathise with her. 

Geetanjali Thapa (who has also worked with Rajkummar Rao in Trapped) spared no effort in striking a chord with the Vitiligo fighters. Kuch Bheege Alfaaz, which refined the idea of self-confidence, romance, and connection, has definitely made a room in our hearts.