‘Girls will be Girls’: Coming of Age Drama Simmering with Tender Love and Emotions
By Archika Khurana
Story: Set in a strict boarding school nestled in the serene Himalayas, the movie follows Mira (Preeti Panigrahi), a teenager who discovers the complexities of desire and love. Her journey toward self-discovery is complicated by her mother, Anila (Kani Kasruti), whose own adolescence was stifled and never fully lived. The tension between Mira’s blossoming sexuality and Anila’s unresolved past creates a simmering conflict that shapes both their lives, as the former navigates the challenges of love and rebellion while the latter grapples with her unfulfilled dreams of youth.
Review: Shuchi Talati’s Girls Will Be Girls is an impressive debut that burrows into the psyche of its ambitious and high-achieving protagonist. At 16, Mira wants to excel at everything—even sex—and she’s ready to put in the work. The film, set in a 1990s Indian prep school in the Himalayas, unfolds with charged silences and subtle connections while exploring the gender-based tensions that exist within a world of academic privilege. Talati’s confident direction and sensitive handling of her young cast result in a coming-of-age story that feels both visceral and deeply relatable.
The budding romance between Mira and Sri (Kesav Binoy Kiron), her 17-year-old classmate, is accurately messy and sweet. Their connection begins with furtive, butterfly-inducing moments—huddled under a blanket in the cold—but it doesn’t remain a secret for long. The school’s watchful, patriarchal gaze is adept at rooting out rule-breaking, particularly when it threatens the status quo. Mira is the first girl in school to be named prefect, a position that earns her both authority and resentment, particularly from the boys who lurk under stairways, snapping upskirt photos.
When Mira’s mother, Anila, discovers the relationship, the story takes a surprising and unsettling turn. Anila, shaped by the same culture that seeks to control her daughter, becomes an unpredictable force. Her actions blur the lines between discipline, jealousy, and a desire to reclaim her own lost youth. This tense, psychological dynamic pushes the boundaries of both the coming-of-age genre and the “cool mom” trope, creating moments of outrageous tension that sometimes threaten to overwhelm the film’s grounded tone.
Talati excels at portraying the physical, often uncomfortable realities of adolescence. Scenes like Mira practising kissing on her wrist or awkwardly trying to appear sexy while lip-syncing in the mirror are handled with honesty and nuance. These moments resonate because they’re treated as normal, relatable parts of growing up. Talati’s trust in her lead actors shines through, particularly in extended close-ups that convey entire emotional arcs without a word being spoken.
Preeti Panigrahi delivers a standout performance as Mira, capturing the defiance, vulnerability, and contradictions of a teenager navigating injustice, desire, and societal pressure. Her withering glares and longing stares communicate volumes, while her portrayal of jealousy and betrayal feels immediate and authentic. As Sri, Keshav Kiron brings an easy, self-assured charm that contrasts with Mira’s more turbulent journey, highlighting the gendered ways they each experience the world.
The most challenging role belongs to Kani Kusruti as Anila. Repressed and contradictory, Anila embodies the long-term effects of a culture that stifles women’s desires and agency. Her dynamic with Mira is complex, sometimes veering into unsettling territory as her actions push the narrative toward an unexpected, almost erotic thriller tone. While this taboo exploration of competition and resentment between parent and child is bold, it sometimes comes on too strong, overshadowing the more grounded elements of Mira and Sri’s story. Some later scenes, heavy with scandalous undertones, feel exaggerated and artificial, diluting the film’s otherwise sharp and empathetic insights.
Talati’s directorial skill is undeniable. From small, skin-crawling moments—like a sales associate creeping on Mira—to larger, more dangerous confrontations at school, she keeps the tension simmering. Her use of framing, mirrors, and carefully choreographed spaces enhances the film’s emotional stakes. Occasionally, the script leans too heavily on dialogue to reinforce ideas already established visually, and some of the conversations veer toward flowery, young-adult sentimentality. Yet these are minor flaws in an otherwise assured and stylish debut.
Underpinning Girls Will Be Girls is a searing critique of patriarchy and its generational effects. The forces that excuse the boys’ behaviour at Mira’s school are the same forces that drive expressions of female sexuality into the shadows, warping natural desires into acts of rebellion. Talati explores how these pressures twist relationships and identities, stretching societal expectations until they inevitably snap.
Despite taking some narrative risks that don’t entirely pay off, Girls Will Be Girls remains a bold, empathetic, and visually sumptuous drama. Shuchi Talati’s confident storytelling and keen directorial eye mark her as a filmmaker to watch, with this debut offering a powerful, if occasionally uneven, exploration of adolescence, family, and desire. — ToI