Movie Review: ‘Designed by Preeti’ – A Familiar Story About Finding the Courage to Begin Again

Nobody goes into a marriage hoping or thinking that it will fail at some point. We get married believing in love, companionship and the possibility of building a life together. But the reality is that things can change, and sometimes the person you thought you would spend the rest of your life with becomes the very reason you have to start over.

A failed marriage can be difficult, but what can be even more difficult is having to basically start your life all over again after everything you have known and believed in comes crashing down.

‘Designed by Preeti‘, directed by Gayatri Bajpai, takes us down a very familiar path of a failed marriage. At the centre of the narrative is the beautiful Preeti Kumar, a woman in her fifties whose seemingly affluent American life conceals years of abuse and infidelity from her husband. To everyone else around them, theirs appears to be the perfect marriage. It is the kind of relationship people might even envy. But behind closed doors, Preeti has been hiding her pain and taking it all in for years. Until she decides she has had enough.

After suffering physical abuse from her husband, Preeti makes the difficult decision to leave her marriage and face not just the embarrassment but also to pursue her own dream of starting a design and fashion business. It is not simply about leaving a marriage. It is about figuring out who she is outside of it.

Without a doubt, this is a story that people from different backgrounds can relate to. But what makes ‘Designed by Preeti‘ quite interesting is its setting within the Indo-American community, where cultural and family values still hold considerable importance. Preeti’s decision therefore comes with more than just the emotional burden of leaving her husband. She also has to deal with the expectations and judgment that come with choosing herself.

Preeti is played perfectly by Rashmi Rustagi, who is also credited as one of the film’s three writers. From the moment we are introduced to her, even in the few scenes that establish her character, it is clear that she is passionate about fashion and making clothes. She sketches her designs with pride but is quick to put them away when her husband walks in.

There is a particularly telling moment during their anniversary celebration. Ajay (played by Jay Charan), is ready to put on another show for the people gathered to celebrate their marriage. But it does not take long to realise that all is not well between the couple. Ajay almost reprimands Preeti for choosing to wear an outfit she made herself instead of one of the expensive high-fashion clothes he bought for her. It is a small moment, but it says a lot about the control he tries to impose over her life.

Rashmi Rustagi brings a certain maturity and seasoned calm to Preeti. She seems almost too calm for someone whose marriage of several years has fallen apart and who is now being forced to reinvent herself. Her performance centres the film in many ways because much of its emotional nuance rests on her shoulders. Preeti is not only trying to find happiness on her own terms. She also has to fight to repair the strained relationship between herself and her daughter, Mallika, which has been affected by her husband’s subtle manipulation and half-truths about their relationship.

Mallika Kumar, played by ‘Shavya Samala’, adds another layer to the narrative, particularly as her own personal issues begin to come into focus. The rest of the cast delivers decent performances that are largely functional and help move the story forward.

The film has the look, feel and pacing of a decent family drama. There are no major moments that completely unsettle the flow of the narrative. At times, though, you get the feeling that some scenes could use a little extra urgency to push the story further and take the emotional stakes closer to the edge, if not over.  But this never happens as there is a relative calm that carries through the narrative.

However, ‘Designed by Preeti‘ keeps its message very clear. It is never too late to start all over again, discover yourself and, perhaps most importantly, put yourself first when love fails you.I will rate this film 6.5/10. It does not promise to be much more than a decent family drama, and it delivers exactly that. You cannot help but appreciate it for what it is. This is also a film you can certainly watch more than once because it does not demand too much from you. Sometimes, a simple story told with enough heart is all you need.