Thursday Special short film review: Of marriage, meal and a quiet betrayal

“Toh har Thursday ko wahi jaya karte the aap?”

Shakuntala’s question lands softly, but it hits hard. Not because her husband, Ram has been unfaithful, but because the betrayal she discovers is of a different kind, one that has quietly lived in their marriage for years.

Thursday Special is a short film that doesn’t shout for attention. It simply sits with you. It’s intimate, gentle, and deeply emotional in the most ordinary way.

Every Thursday, Shakuntala (played by Anubha Fatehpuria) wakes up at the crack of dawn, not complaining, not tired but genuinely excited. Thursdays mean cooking something special for her husband’s office potluck lunch. And honestly, that itself feels slightly suspicious because, come on, no office does a potluck every week. But Shakuntala doesn’t question it. Love, especially old love, often doesn’t.

The film opens with her making Yakhni Paneer, pouring all her affection into the dish. She packs the entire curry into Ram’s tiffin, leaving none for herself, except that tiny taste she sneaks with her finger. That one moment says so much about who she is. Quiet, giving, proud in her own way.

Ram (Ramakant Dayama) seems equally excited to leave for work, tiffin in hand. But soon, we begin to sense that something isn’t right. The truth slowly unfolds. Every Thursday, Ram hands over his tiffin to the watchman and heads to a local eatery for their ‘Thursday special’ menu. And one day, Shakuntala sees him coming out of that very place.

What follows isn’t loud drama. No screaming, no melodrama. The next day, she follows him. She sits across the table. And she confronts him. That’s where the film truly breaks your heart.

The couple is already dealing with old age and the devastating loss of their children in an accident. In that emotional vacuum, food, routine and Thursdays had become their way of holding on. But when that routine cracks, so does Shakuntala’s trust.

Anubha Fatehpuria is outstanding. She barely needs words. Her eyes do most of the talking, whether she’s cooking in her kitchen or sitting silently at the eatery, processing years of unknowing. Ramakant Dayama matches her with a restrained, almost helpless performance. Together, they feel real, lived-in, and painfully relatable.

Written and directed by National Award winner Varun Tandon, Thursday Special is an intimate tale of Ram and Shakuntala, an ageing couple bound by marriage, food, and a ritual that meant more than it appeared. It’s a tender exploration of love, loss, companionship, and the small lies we tell, thinking they don’t matter. Yet, it still leaves you with a question: why did Ram do that after all?

By the time the film ends, you’re left with a lump in your throat and a quiet ache in your heart. Thursday Special reminds you that sometimes, betrayal isn’t about another person – it’s about being left out of your own relationship. And that hurts the most.