Preeti Panigrahi as teenage Meera in ‘Girls Will Be Girls’
The star is Preeti Panigrahi Girls will remain girls, She missed the awards ceremony where she won the Special Jury Prize for Acting at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. She was an hour behind the clock and was sleeping. The person who woke him up from his nap was his mother, who was talking on the phone. “She was like, ‘Where are you? You got an award!'”
You can imagine a similar scene in Shuchi Talati’s shadowy mother-daughter indie. Set in the foothills of the Himalayas, the film focuses on Meera (Panigrahi), a bright, rule-abiding high school student who is in the midst of her romantic and sexual awakening. The film is based on Meera’s complicated relationship with her mother, played by Kani Kusruti, and picks up pace with the entry of a lanky, attractive international exchange student (Kesav Binoy Kiran) into their lives.
Shot in real schools in Mussoorie, the film captures the rhythms of Indian boarding school life, while critiquing (without much fuss) its traditions and codes of excellence. Talati’s friend Richa Chadha picked up the script as her first production venture with husband Ali Fazal. The couple, who recently became parents, have named their production outfit Pushing Buttons Studio.
“In our individual careers as actors, we have worked with production houses that make you sign a contract and you’re stuck,” says Ali. “Our driving philosophy at Pushing Buttons is not to hold artists back. ” “Freedom is a prerequisite for art,” says Richa.
Bollywood actor and couple Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal during the promotion of their debut film production ‘Girls Will Be Girls’, in Mumbai, Wednesday, December 11, 2024 | photo Credit: –
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Her upcoming slate includes a feature documentary on her own inter-religious marriage (Reality) and other titles. It has an experimental bent – a fantasy drama featuring cult hero Kamal Swarup is in the oven – as well as more middle-of-the-road offerings.
“I owe my career to films like Leftist Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! And MasanRicha comments. “In fact, MasanIn its initial moments, when Shalu and Deepak are courting each other, it is a sweet, entertaining love story.
girls will be girls was shot with a mostly female crew; Taiwanese cinematographer Jih-Ei Peng operated the camera. Talati created an open, safe space for its young artists to perform, as Preeti testified (an official intimacy coordinator was not available due to budgetary constraints).
“We were in agreement on everything,” confirms Preeti, who is 22 and studying animation at the Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute (SRFTI). “The intimacy scenes were properly choreographed and rehearsed. People on the set who were not required to be in our sight were asked to leave.
Ali, known for Mirzapur, Intelligence And KandaharHe attended La Martiniere College in Lucknow and later The Doon School in Dehradun, which was an all-boys boarding setup. “You have amazing power dynamics and you meet the standards. I can relate to the personality types you see Girls will remain girls.,
We all imagine ourselves as boyhood
Kani Kusruti had a tremendous year on screen Killer soup, we all imagine as lightAnd Girls will remain girls. In an earlier interview with The Hindu, The famously reticent actress had said that she avoids festivals and premieres. It has changed since then – that’s all. “I’ve gone to a few people now,” laughs Kani, who made headlines at Cannes with her watermelon clutch, a symbol of Palestinian solidarity.
Her character, Anila, in girls will be girlsDomineering, unnaturally jealous, yet possessing the girlish willpower hinted at in the title. This is a quietly shaded performance by Kani We all imagine… “Throughout the story, Anila wants to be the best mother she can for her daughter. At the same time, we also see a reflection of his own incompleteness. “It’s a complex dynamic that resonates everywhere.” In one scene, we see her in an oversized pink frock, and later draping a saree around her daughter.
“Meera looks very strange in that saree,” observes Preeti. “There’s a lot more maturity in his face than that of a young adult.”
Girls Will Be Girls will stream on Prime Video from December 18th
published – December 17, 2024 05:37 PM IST
