Choked (Paisa Bolta Hai) 2020

Sarita Pillai (Saiyami Kher) and Sushant Pillai (Roshan Mathew) navigate the challenges of life as a married couple residing in a lower-middle-class neighborhood of Mumbai with their young son, Sameer (Parthveer Shukla). The film intricately portrays the daily struggles of their family, interspersed with flashbacks that unveil Sarita’s troubled past. Once a promising singer, she froze during a performance on a reality show, an experience that continues to haunt her, leading to feelings of anxiety and self-doubt. Sushant, who is frequently unemployed and engages in petty schemes around their community, often seems to mock Sarita for this singular failure, exacerbating her distress.

As the family’s primary breadwinner, Sarita works tirelessly as a bank teller, while Sushant’s attempts to contribute through small jobs, including his partnership with his shady friend Dinesh (Uday Nene), mostly backfire. Sushant bears the brunt of ridicule from Dinesh and others, causing tension in their already strained relationship. The couple’s household dynamics are unsettled further by Sarita’s long work hours, leading to frequent arguments.

Meanwhile, a mysterious individual begins to fill the plumbing system in their building with large bundles of cash, a practice suggested to be related to money laundering, as the society buzzes with gossip about it. One night, Sarita hears unsettling noises from the kitchen pipes and, upon investigating, discovers bags stuffed with cash hidden away. After confirming its legitimacy through her bank, she uses the windfall to clear Sushant’s debts and pamper herself, fabricating a story about inheritance to keep this newfound wealth secret.

While she attempts to enhance her life and that of her family, the reality of their neighbors’ struggles unfolds, particularly her friendship with Sharvari Tai, whose frustrations about the seepage from Sarita’s unit add to the household tension. As Sarita’s nighttime rituals of cleaning and searching the plumbing continue, her unexpected fortune fades when the government introduces demonetization, nullifying the value of her cash.

Caught in a whirlwind of financial stress, Sarita’s world spirals downward, especially at work where irate customers become the norm. In a twist of fate, Sushant misinterprets her interactions with Reddy (Upendra Limaye), mistakenly believing she is unfaithful when in fact she is merely trying to deal with her financial obligations. The pressures mount as friends and neighbors expect her help exchanging old notes, pushing Sarita further into a dangerous web of deceit and financial speculation.

As Sarita’s hidden cash flow from her past encounters dwindles, she discovers new batches of cash coming through the same dubious channels. Tension rises as she disguises these dealings from Sushant, who grows suspicious of her behavior. Desperate to uncover the truth, he confronts Reddy regarding their troubling financial entanglement. However, tragedy strikes when thieves invade her workplace, robbing her of her hidden treasures and crushing her spirits once more.

The plot thickens as police investigations unfold surrounding the laundered money, leaving Sarita feeling cornered, fearing an unforeseen exposure that could lead to her downfall. When the truth about the suspicious cash comes to light involving local politicians and corrupt dealings, unexpected twists in the narrative raise the stakes for the Pillai family. Miraculously, a year later, they are delighted to learn they are entitled to a share of the seized money from the police raid, leaving viewers anxious to discover what that sum might be.

Through a compelling narrative of resilience and desperation, the film captivates audiences, adeptly highlighting the seemingly mundane yet chaotic life of Sarita and Sushant as they stumble towards an uncertain future.