‘Husbands are best when they are dead’ is an idea thrown by one of secondary characters in “Shadowboxing”. Although floated more as a joke, it might be a thought sporadically passing through Maya’s (Tiloatam Shome) head. She has a teenager to raise and an emerging dry-cleaning business to run. On top of that, there is Sundar (Chandan Bisht), her unemployed husband, who requires constant babysitting. The protagonist sends him on job interviews to no avail. He seems more bent on cultivating his passion project. He supplies local universities with frogs which he catches with bare hands, causing a stir among the neighbors on a couple of occasions.

Shadowbox is sceening at Berlin International Film Festival

There is something off about Sundar, and it might have to do with his past experiences in the military. The man carries some trauma, due to which he is constantly on the verge. On the verge of violence,...