“Skater Girl” – Hope, Love, & Inspiration From India On A Platter
“Skater Girl” starts in the small town of Khempur, Rajasthan, where the age-old Hindu caste system is still prevalent. Prerna meets Jessica and both find their respective purpose.
Prerna (Rachel Saanchita Gupta) is a teenager who belongs to a poor lower-caste family and has to skip school to support her family by selling peanuts in the local market. As the older child, she is expected to portray a certain level of maturity and responsibility but all she truly desires is to be a child. This is evident from the first scene when Prerna is seen delighted while pulling her younger brother Ankush (Shafin Patel) on his “bearing car” (makeshift skateboard).
Jessica (Amrit Maghera), on the other hand, is a 34-year-old single woman from London who is visiting Khempur to pay homage to her late father’s hometown where he was adopted at the age of seven. She is seeking a feeling of closeness to her father and is trying to find a connection to his and her roots.
Jessica has a friendly demeanor and a big heart. When she notices the lack of resources available to these destitute children, she takes it upon herself to do whatever is in her power and make their childhood a bit more meaningful.
Two notable performances were those of Shafin Patel as Ankush whose hilarious acting was pure entertainment and Waheeda Rehman in a guest appearance whose grace and poise transcend the decades she has been on screen.
A story of hope, love, and inspiration, “Skater Girl” is just the kind of non-mainstream quality cinema audiences yearn to watch. The movie, however, is near-perfect as it misses the mark on the expected level of authenticity and moves at an inconsistent pace, slowing down in the middle. The cast is depicted as extremely poor and less educated however their accents lack the regional tone and their Hindi is almost too polished.
View this post on Instagram
The film was written and directed by Manjari Makijany. She does an excellent job in capturing Prerna’s maturity and innocence through her expressions and body language all in the same moment.
The best part about this movie is the Desert Dolphin Skatepark that was set up during its filming. It has given hope and a reason to dream to hundreds of young girls and boys since it was set up in 2018 and continues to do so as one of India’s largest skate parks. In Makijany’s own words, “It is beyond a film project. It’s a commitment to the kids and the place.”
View this post on Instagram
“Skater Girl” is surely a cool weekend watch on Netflix.
