Ribbon is a refreshing slice-of-life film. The movie gives a real life perspective of things you or the people around you must face every day. It’s written in such a way, that the characters just come alive since the first scene, where you see Kalki freaking over a pregnancy. Sumeet very easily, accepts it and gets Kalki on board. Of course, he has no problem accepting the pregnancy, his life doesn’t change till the baby is delivered. This could have made the movie, more compelling than it ends up being. Sumeet and Kalki do justice to the character that has been provided to them. The casting, also, is perfect.

It is refreshing to see a Hindi film that showcases a couple, not just after marriage, but once they become parents. Kalki Koechlin-Sumeet Vyas-starrer Ribbon is realistic to the core, highlights some important issues in our society, and yet, refrains from being preachy. Ribbon showcases a non-filmy and real-life urban couple in love, living together. A couple that does not need candle light dinners to ignite romance as they are busy meeting deadlines at work and ensuring all EMIs are paid on time. The film also touches upon issues like sexual assault, the way we treat and stereotype victims, women, girls, family, and even men. However, addressing these issues is where Ribbon disappoints. Ribbon rakes up a lot of issues that deserve at least a discourse in the current scenario, but instead, ends up only fleetingly touching these. Neither the characters nor the narrative take upon the evils and the evil-doers.

Without delving much into details, Ribbon could have resonated with today's ambition-seeking youngsters, had the director (Rakhee Sandilya) and writers stuck to one primary plot and not introduced a sub-plot in the second half. Despite the element of realism in the film, both the episodes do not seem to reach a conclusion. And lack both in depth and province. The second half is dragged beyond imagination and the end is a bit abrupt and disappointing, given the build-up. All in all, Ribbon starts off with one storyline and ends with another, but fails to capture the gamut of both. Rakhee Sandilya has started a conversation on a less-spoken human emotion, very humanely. If only she had taken one route and explored it to its optimum level.