Kokka Movie Review: Kokka is a brave attempt to break stereotypes around an older woman falling in love with a younger guy

Review: Ajooni (played by Neeru Bajwa) is 40, unmarried, bold and a high-flying career woman whose romantic notions about love and marriage make it hard for her to settle down. All that changes when she meets a young man Akal (Gurnam Bhullar) and begins wooing him. An applause for the script writer of Kokka, Rupinder Inderjit for penning a story as brave as this one, for a region that is still trying to unshackle women from their traditional domestic and subjugated roles. With the narrative giving the reins of wooing in the relationship to Ajooni, she leads with courage, employing charm, coyness and even subtle plotting to win over Akal’s attention, and subsequently his affection.

Kudos to Neeru for portraying the strength of a contemporary woman in Ajooni, who is aware of her needs without being belligerent and stays true to the depiction of modern reality. With Priyanka Chopra Jonas-Nick Jonas’ love story and marriage becoming the precedence on which to pivot their convictions, Akal and Ajooni get on the path of persuading their family members. While Ajooni’s mother, a single lady, is more accommodating of her daughter’s desire to marry a man much younger than her, Akal’s orthodox mother who follows him to UK later to select an appropriate match for him, is vehemently in opposition of their alliance. In this role, the supporting cast of women including veterans Rupinderjit Rupi, Gurpreet Bhangu and Baljinder Kaur (playing Akal’s mother), are creating the perfect appearances of older women upholding traditional stereotypes of an older husband and younger wife, which they have been fed on.

As Akal vacillates between an ingrained definition of a wife, initially fighting off his feelings for Ajooni because she is older and he is “not supposed to” marry her, to eventually realizing his genuine emotions for her, Gurnam Bhullar is playing the younger man with groveling, crying and sniveling apt for a man-child. He justifies his character with all shades of dilemma a young man experiences as he tugs between his mother’s adamant stance against an older match for him, and his own feelings for Ajooni.

In the end, the onus of convincing his family about their match lies with Akal and Ajooni leaves him to marry another man Vishaw, played by a surprise cameo appearance of UK based Punjabi singer Jaz Dhami. Can Akal rise to the challenge, is what the film concludes on.

Neeru remains the hero of the story, dominating with her screen presence and confidence that comes from years of honing her acting craft and the narrative carries on convincingly because of the chemistry between Neeru and Gurnam on screen.
The film’s music is pleasant and the song Darling will remain a chart buster for a while.