Girls Will Be Girls Review: Shuchi Talati’s Film Is A Celebration of Girlhood And Maternal Love That Perseveres

A strange mother-daughter dynamic plays out in Shuchi Talati’s ‘Girls Will Be Girls’. The daughter, an over-achieving school prefect, Mira (essayed by the phenomenal Preeti Panigrahi) lives with her overbearing mother Anila (Kani Kusruti). The two develop feelings for a school boy Srinivasan (Kesav Binoy Kiron). If that's not awkward enough, at one point, Anila dances with Sri, gently caresses his head. Ani downplays teenage romance as ‘puppy love’ much to Mira's dismay.

Girls Will Be Girls Movie: Plot

Anila uses her parental authority to limit the physical and emotional intimacy between Mira and Sri. This happens as Anila bonds with Sri, sometimes sleeping in the same bed as him, even if it weirds out her daughter. Sri, on the other hand, is fully aware of this dynamic and that it causes major distress for Mira.

Any attempt by Mira to break away from this equation is not appreciated by Anila. It is a catch 22 situation for Mira: To spend time with Sri, she needs her mother's permission and if she finds moments of intimacy elsewhere, Anila penalizes Mira with less privacy and more strictness.

Girls Will Be Girls Movie: Performances

Sri ends up driving a wedge between the mother-daughter duo. He becomes less and less interested in Mira as his proximity to Anila increases. Meanwhile, Mira's boarding school (Read: prison) doesn't allow girls to wear short skirts. In general, the school has an oppressive environment with strict rules against the intermingling of opposite genders.

A strict Mrs Bansal enforces the rules and allows Mira the power to discipline students as the school prefect. Things go out of hand when a boy proposes to Mira and on rejecting his proposal, Mira's relationship with Sri is exposed to all. Will Anila side with her daughter?

Girls Will Be Girls Movie: Writing And Direction

What I loved about ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ is how succinctly it portrays the unnecessarily strict and oppressive school environments in India. The bizarre rules, sucking up to the authority and abstinence from any romantic relationships is expected of school children. God forbid they go on a movie date, all hell breaks loose!

If the kids in Netflix's Stranger Things get to loiter around all night, Indian kids have strict curfew timings. In one scene, Sri asks Mira “Are you still scared of your mom?” She responds, “No, I just can't stand her”. The film is a coming-of-age tale in the truest sense because it shows teenagers exploring their sexuality and rebelling against parental authority.

Girls Will Be Girls Movie: What Works, What Doesn't

Erections, armpit hair, waxing, clitoris, sex positions—all the burning questions teenagers have when they hit puberty—are addressed. Some they explore, others they find out at a cyber cafe using the Internet Explorer on a Windows 95 PC. Harish, Mira's father is mostly away from home which allows this awkward dynamic to play out for a prolonged period.

Also Read: Shalini Passi is one of a kind, bloody unique, made for such shows: Maheep Kapoor | Exclusive

For me, the most striking scene is when Anila passionately defends Mira when she is character assassinated by the hooligans in the form of school children. “I decide who I let into my home”, says a firm Anila tells Mrs Bansal. The two ride on a scooty into the sunset. Anil's maternal love persevered despite Sri driving a wedge between the two.

The film is as much a commentary on the loneliness that comes with being an adult. Maybe, just maybe, Anila falls for Sri out of loneliness? Perhaps, Mira and Sri's study sessions allow her an escape from the monotony of a domestic life? We don't get to choose who we love, do we?

But come what may, female solidarity and sisterhood trumps all rivalries. ‘Girls Will Be Girls’ is as much about a complicated mother-daughter relationship as it is about a teenager exploring her sexuality. It's a must watch.

Star rating: 3.5 / 5 stars