Single Salma could easily pass off as a distant cousin to Kangana Ranaut’s 2013 film Queen. Both films revolve around a woman on the brink of marriage who heads abroad, rediscovers herself, and realises that self-worth and marital status need not be intertwined. But here’s the real question: does Single Salma manage to regurgitate that tried and tested formula successfully?
Movie Review
Single Salma
Salma struggles between duty and desire after a trip to London changes her life.
Director
Nachiket Samant
Cast
Huma Qureshi, Sunny Singh, Shreyas Talpade
Verdict
Single Salma has its heart in the right place but not enough freshness in its suitcase. It is sweet and safe, just not special.
Single Salma story
Directed by Nachiket Samant, the film follows Salma (Huma Qureshi), a woman from Lucknow who refuses to succumb to society’s ticking clock. Once descended from nawabs, her family has fallen on hard times, and Salma shoulders nearly all the household responsibilities. She forgets she’s entitled to a life of her own.
Enter her mother, who extracts a promise: Salma will get married. Along comes Sikander (Shreyas Talpade), who has led a similar life. Sparks fly, and there’s an engagement. Then arrives a work trip to London, where Salma meets herself for the first time. There she encounters Meet (Sunny Singh), and what starts as a fling turns into an awakening. What follows is Salma’s tussle between duty and desire, between the life she has built and the life she wants.
Single Salma review
Single Salma begins on a breezy note. Set in Lucknow, the milieu in the first half immediately draws you in with its charm. Salma’s world feels authentic, the family bickering, the burden of expectations. The premise is set up beautifully, up until Salma boards that London flight. And that’s when the relatability takes off as well.
The second half runs on autopilot. You’ve seen this arc before. Rani, oops, Salma, makes new friends, reinvents her wardrobe, discovers intimacy, and starts to glow from within. You keep waiting for a surprise that never comes. The music by Sohail Sen and Jassi Sidhu fails to give you anything worth remembering.
That said, the film remains family-friendly, avoiding cheap detours. Huma Qureshi carries the film with warmth, and even when the writing falters, her presence keeps it afloat. Shreyas Talpade brings restraint to his role, and Sunny Singh is passable.
By the time the credits roll, Single Salma has its heart in the right place, but not enough freshness in its suitcase. It is sweet and safe, just not special.
