By Arwa Darukhanawala
Skater Girl, a Hinglish film directed by Manjari Makijany, released in 2021, is set in Khempur, a rural village in Rajasthan. A teenage girl named Prerna bursts through a bubble of outdated tradition in her community with the freedom of a skateboard. This movie highlights the a gamut of issues such as child marriage, the caste and class system, gender inequality and discrimination, as well as the importance of education and fighting for what you deserve. ”Skater Girl” is an inspiring story woven together by courage and determination.
Prerna lives in a community where women are considered the inferior sex. She's expected to fulfil household chores (as opposed to going to school). According to her father, cooking and cleaning will be more beneficial than going to school, as it is favourable when looking for suitors to marry. Prerna's mindset conflicts with her father's; however, she doesn't speak up against the unfair conditions stacked before her. Jessica, a foreigner from London, comes to Khempur to learn about her father’s childhood. She and her friend Erick, from L. A., introduce skateboarding to the children of the village. Their arrival sparks newfound confidence in Prerna, along with understanding the freedom to dream.
Skater Girl portrays a skateboard as a way to grasp freedom, a chance to dream, and a determination to defy tradition. Furthermore, it kills the perception of skateboarding being a sport solely for men. Most of the local adults see skateboards as a nuisance. However, the children think the opposite. Prerna finds a connection to the sport. Her skateboard gives her the freedom to dream, a right she had been denied.
In the film, daughters are seen as a burden. (translated)"Everyone wants a son; a daughter does not complete a family", said one of the characters in the film . As a girl, I wondered if my parents (or relatives) thought it a disadvantage that my parents had a daughter instead of a son. I asked my parents, and they told me they were glad I was a girl. And, it was a daughter they hoped for. If one considers a son worth more than a daughter, and it is a daughter they end up with, why would a parent want their child to feel unwanted? In this day and age, several factors remain unreliable and unsteady. But, your family is a group of people tied together by a relationship of blood who will not walk out on you. But, for Prerna, her father underestimates her and forces her into a life she does not want. A parent should never make their daughter or any of their children feel like an outcast. And for a girl (or woman), they are destined to do more than chores.
Skater Girl is a refreshing movie and a wake-up call for the world to abandon such belief systems and age-old practices like child marriage and the caste and class system. Along with the fact that a girl deserves an education and is not meant to fulfil household burdens. The freedom to dream and walk your own path is something everyone deserves and is everyone's right - find your voice and speak your truth.
Comments