I watched Gantumoote (Baggage) recently and was thoroughly impressed with the movie. Roopa Rao ( @alonelywalk) has blazed through the “baggage” and captured the imagination and hearts of her audience. The protagonist of the movie, Meera, shines under the director’s

guidance and light. The nuances of human behaviour - that of adolescence - that Roopa manages to portray (through her cast) on screen is amazing. What’s really impressive is that Meera walks the audience through the whole movie with her reflections and introspective thoughts

If you don’t pay enough attention, you are likely to miss some of her most profound observations.

She reflects on how we judge each other, the confusion that adolescence is almost always likely to have to wade through, the unpredictability of human behaviour, the expectations we have from those we love, the downsides of those who “fail” in life in some way and more.

She shows the protagonist journaling her thoughts with the best of words (unfortunately, you need to understand Kannada to fully appreciate this and Prime’s translation doesn’t really do justice in some scenes).

Hats off to this @alonelywalk for her amazing and sensitive work. I am eagerly looking forward to her next. We not only need more female directors but also more female protagonists that reflect and journal their experiences in an honest and vulnerable manner.

Fin