Choked first look out: Roshan Mathew, Saiyami Kher play a couple in Anurag Kashyap’s Netflix film

Set in Mumbai, the story centres on a bank cashier who finds an unlimited source of money in her kitchen
Choked first look out: Roshan Mathew, Saiyami Kher play a couple in Anurag Kashyap’s Netflix film

The first look of Anurag Kashyap’s upcoming Netflix film, Choked: Paisa Bolta Hai is out. The suspense drama stars Saiyami Kher and Roshan Mathew in the lead roles. The film is slated to premiere on June 5.

Choked is written by Nihit Bhave. Set in Mumbai, the story centres on Sarita Pillai (Saiyami), a bank cashier who finds an unlimited source of money in her kitchen. Her husband, Sushant (Roshan), is a struggling musician with dreams of making it big. The film follows their journey through the balance of power and greed.

Roshan, who is making his Bollywood debut with Choked, says it was a great experience working with Anurag. “AK was associated with my previous film Moothon (2019), which was made in Malayalam and Hindi. He had liked my performance and wanted to work with me. As a filmmaker, Anurag gives you complete freedom on set. There are no restrictions when it comes to exploring a character.”

The actor says the leap to Hindi wasn’t difficult. “I had lived in Mumbai for a few years before moving to Kochi. I was doing theatre there, besides auditioning for films and videos. So I knew the city and the language.”

Saiyami made her Bollywood debut in Mirzya (2016). She had also appeared in the Telugu film Rey and the Marathi actioner Mauli. Recently, she was seen in Neeraj Pandey’s web series Special OPS.

Speaking about her character in Choked, Saiyami shares, “Sarita is a 30-year-old middle-class woman. She is the sole breadwinner. She is overworked and frustrated, yet tenacious and always scheming to build that 'dream'. At one level Sarita is that every-woman. Nihit, our writer, has beautifully written the complexities of a middle-class family.”

Choked is Anurag’s fourth outing with Netflix. He had previously co-directed both seasons of Sacred Games, in addition to his segments in Lust Stories (2018) and Ghost Stories (2020).

The filmmaker calls Choked ‘a labour of love’. “It’s that film which was made just the way it should be. As a filmmaker, I have nothing to complain about this film in any department. I am just anxious to see how people respond to it,” Anurag shares.

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