Chhatriwali 2023

In Karnal, Sanya Dhingra, Rakul Preet Singh, an unemployed chemistry prodigy, makes ends meet by offering chemistry tuitions and keeps chasing a steady job, though rejection is a constant companion. One day, while flying kites, she encounters Ratan Lamba, Satish Kaushik, the shrewd owner of Cando Condoms. Impressed by her sharp chemical knowledge, he offers her a position as the Quality Control Head at his factory. Although the assignment initially unsettles her, she accepts a salary of 50,000 Rs under the condition that no one learns she works at a condom factory. In return, Lamba asks her to sign a one-year contract before quitting. To protect her family from judgment, she hides the truth, telling them she works at an umbrella factory.

At a friend’s engagement, she meets Rishi Kalra, Sumeet Vyas, who runs a business selling Puja items and deity figures. Over time, the two fall in love and decide to marry. Sanya continues to conceal her real job from Rishi and his deeply religious family, confiding only in her sister. Then tragedy strikes when Nisha Kalra, her sister-in-law, collapses in the kitchen. A doctor’s examination reveals that Nisha has undergone two abortions and two miscarriages, and her body has weakened from prolonged birth-control use. This leads Sanya to press Nisha about condom use, and Nisha explains that Rajan Kalra—Rajesh Tailang, a Biology teacher with devout beliefs—harbors strong religious objections to contraception.

Motivated to change minds, Sanya persuades Rishi to use condoms; he is initially hesitant but ultimately agrees. She relays to Nisha that Rishi has consented and urges Nisha to ask Rajan to do the same. Nisha responds that she will press the issue only if all the women of Karnal demand condom use from their husbands. Sanya mobilizes the women of Karnal, organizing a meeting to educate them about the side-effects of birth-control pills and to empower them to insist on condom use. The effort catches on, and more men begin to frequent Madan Chacha’s shop to buy condoms, even as Madan Chacha views condoms as a stigma that should be avoided by wives’ advances.

The movement backfires when enraged men storm the Kalra household, brandishing a newspaper that proclaims Sanya as Karnal’s first condom quality tester. The public shaming exposes Sanya’s deception, and Rajan forces her to choose between her marriage and her job. Determined to pursue a higher purpose, Sanya chooses her work and leaves home, vowing to tackle the issue at its roots. She sets up a makeshift shed outside the school where Rajan teaches to provide sex education to students who are shielded by tradition and fear. Her initiative gradually draws students to seek answers and guidance, challenging the stifling norms.

Rajan tries to shut down the effort by calling the police, and Sanya is arrested for indecency. Rishi steps in, bailing her out against his brother’s wishes, and apologizes for the family conflict while affirming his support for her cause. With the backing of most of the Kalra family, they establish regular classes at the Kalra household to educate students on sexual health, with the notable exception of Rajan, who resists at first. Yet as the movement gains traction, Nisha and Mini Kalra stand up to him, and Rajan begins to recognize his misjudgments, offering a public apology to Sanya and aligning himself with her mission. The story closes on a note of persistent hope, as education and open dialogue begin to erode long-held taboos and empower communities to engage with important, often overlooked topics.