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Skater Girl Movie Review: A rooted tale of discovery and self realization
Read Pinkvilla's review of Manjari Makijany's Skater Girl featuring Rachel Saanchita Gupta and Amy Maghera. Is it worth your time? Find out
Directed by: Manjari Makijany
Cast: Rachel Saanchita Gupta, Amy Maghera, Jonathan Readwin
Platform: Netflix
Rating: 3 stars
Our country is split in two parts – India and Bharat. While the former is progressing with a modern outlook towards life, a larger part of the latter is still stuck in the regressive mindset, wherein it’s a task for any girl to live her dreams. Skater Girl depicts Bharat and the challenges faced by girls right from their childhood. The film, set in a village of Rajasthan, chronicles the story of Prerna (Rachel Saanchita Gupta), who belongs to a low cast family, and the discovery of her love for skating, when she meets Jessica (Amy Maghera).
As has been the case with several Bollywood films, there is sport standing on the side facing opposition from the family, as “girls are meant to stay at home and cook food”. As the protagonist gets the wings to make her own decisions, she is forced into a wedding at a tender age. Does she agree to the wedding? Or does she live the dream of representing her village in a skating competition? How does she overcome the age-old patriarchy? Watch Skater Girl to know more.
Director Manjari Makijany approaches the story with a lot of honesty and though the direction is patchy at some points, she does manage to convey the message and inspires in the garb of entertainment. The narrative has a deja-vu of multiple films that we have seen in the Bollywood, and there’s nothing new with the issues raised too, however, it’s the honesty and approach that saves the story from being a drag. There are certain moments, dialogues and situations in the narrative that instantly win your heart, whereas there are some which make you question the belief system that exists in the interiors.
The camera work is swift, and the DOP team manages to capture the skating scenes with perfection. The dialogues are fine, whereas the background score plays a key role in building on to the drama. Talking about the performances, Rachel Saanchita Gupta does well in playing the suppressed character, eventually finding the wings to fly. Amy Maghera as Jessica is natural, and surprises with her hold in emotional scenes too. Waheeda Rehman makes a surprise appearance and acts as a catalyst in taking the story forward, leading it to the finale. Jonathan Readwin as Erick, is decent. The casting boasts of freshness with half a dozen young faces, who do well in their respective parts.
All said and done, Skater Girl has the heart at its right place and deserves a watch on a lazy Sunday afternoon. While the screenplay follows the usual graph of rise, fall and rise, it’s the effort to showcase a sport like skating in the small town set up that does wonders for the story.
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