Movie Review: Gippy is the story of every teenager

Stepping in the big bad world of adolescence at the age of 14 is a tough task at hand, the age where we faced challenges such as looking beautiful or handsome, aping adults, wanna be cool, fit among friends, seeking our individuality. It's an age where we face emotional and social changes and striving to be like growing adults. Debutant director Sonam Nair aptly tackle the complex of adolescence crisis in the first film Gippy and she has won over hearts. Gippy is a movie made by the heart of adolescence for adolescents
Fourteen year old Gippi (Riya Vij) stays in Shimla with her mother Bappi (Divya Dutta) and lil' brother Booboo (Arbaaz Kadwani) and she is scoffed at for being fat and equally shunned by Miss. Popular, Shamira (Jayati Modi) as well as her crush, Kabir (Mrinal Chawla). Gippi is the story of the girl who eventually conquers her fear and wins heart. In short, Gippi is coming of age and Sonam Nair should be credited for taking such a bold subject and treated with dexterity through a well-etched screenplay and direction.
As adolescents, we suffer from in-built prejudices, probably taught by parents during the initial years of growing up where children imbibe scant remarks made on beings we consider to be lame, too fat, fair or dusky as well as too slim.
Gippy teaches an important lesson on the way parents communicate with children and education carries an important bearing on the way adolescents turn into adults. There are instances where parents stifle children's development by shunting them to go in their rooms when guest arrive or deprive them of a voice when their progenes voice out their opinions. It is burden that children have to carry when they step into adulthood. It is psychological in nature yet many parents fail to take stock of how it affect a child's overall development.
It is important for a child to carve a niche for itself since it is a question of its individuality. The latter is a mark of an adolescent identity.
Sonam Nair also intelligently broaches the subject of sexuality, in particular homosexuality and pitfalls is avoided when the Gippy's brother is comfortable in having undertone of homosexuality. The point is understood by Gippi's mother Bappi and no she doesn't scorn the child or indulges in melodrama but goes out of the way to make the child comfortable in his skin. It is a lesson in film-making and Gippi doesn't have a problem with her brother. It is important for us to realize that a member of our family, be it a son or daughter, brother or sister is not straight and the love for the child matters and not what society prescribe to us.
Why I connect with a film like Gippy as a child? The film is directed at young girls but, during my childhood, I was shunted out for not being cool and hardly had any friends. I was laughed at, ridiculed and scorned at for being lame and dumb. Yes! I was skinny and did not fit in the uber cool gang. I was sitting and brooding in a corner inside the classroom. Gippy reminded me of the childhood days and yes, I did envy guys similar to the character like Shamira, rich, classy and who nicely ignored me. Girls would not speak to me and I instantly connect with the film. Many don't realize that the dumb ones have a heart and have a right to live life. Oh! yeah! I was bullied and I wonder how I transformed into a confident someone, like Gippy.
I particularly love the climax of the film and the scenes between Shamira and Gippy who did not dealt blows to the former. To the contrary, Gippy understood Shamira when the table turned. The scene during the election of the class captain leaves a mark. Kudos to Karan Johar for producing the movie with a heart and such kind of movies should be encouraged.

Post Script Note:
Sonam Nair outing Gippi is a movie that melt hearts and made with the heart. Adolescents  Riya Vij, Jayati Modi, Arbaaz and Mrinal make confident debut despite they are not professional actors. Jayati Modi is photogenic as a young but arrogant student but she has a brilliant future along with Riya Vij. Divya Dutta is endearing as the lovable mother. Well done kids and, of course, Dharma Productions! Sad, that a movie like Gippi could not make it as a hit but it's no reason not to make such meaningful cinema.

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