A-Thunder

I am stunned by the lovely message and touching concept behind this story. The story revolves around a young girl's dream to become a dancer, particularly, a performer on stage for an Indian TV dance competition. Realistically, her father says no and encourages his daughter to study and keep dance as a hobby. And so the stage is set... naturally, we the audience expect this decision to change. The film did provide food for thought behind different paths one can take as a parent, which gave fresh perspective to a story where the ending would otherwise be predictable.

Alas, the movie ultimately firmly sets one foot in reality, the other in dreams. The ending was not as we would expect, reinforcing the mercurial nature of life and the challenges and hardships it throws at us when we least expect. What I found myself adoring about this movie was its maturity, in depicting both sorrows and joy. The focus being on love between father and daughter felt so fresh and unique. I think this story will be one I come back to many times.

This is hands down one of the most sensitive, grittiest, and conscientious films I've had the pleasure of viewing. It delves into the joys and horrors of living and dying with such intricacy snd intensity it's hard not to feel the weight constrict like a vice around one's chest.

Having worked in both an ICU trauma unit and rehabilitation hospital, this story hit home for me. It's tricky, balancing the line of hope for recovery and prognosis. Oftentimes, the answer is we healthcare workers don't exactly know. The story did make me think of a more recent research study I read though, advocating for more thorough assessments for patients with disorders of consciousness as calls are typically made too early on prognosis. The study also found that waiting a certain number of weeks for inpatient rehabilitation post coming out of a coma can improve success as patients' brains typically aren't ready for intensive rehabilitation immediately after transferring from the acute care hospital.

I found the story of all the characters involved incredibly touching. It didn't shy away from any of the nuances, such as guilt, old "friends" losing interest/backing away from caring, the stress of wanting hope but also not wanting to prolong someone's pain fir a poor quality of life, and the remarkable relationships and life that can be lived, even when "altered" and "changed" from who one used to be.

Also, hat's off to the team for doing its research, this is the closest I've seen a a film pretty acutely depict a TBI patient's cognitive-linguistic skills.

Everything about this film was top notch: story, acting, writing, and production. Several scenes had me in tears. As someone who works in a rehabilitation hospital and a competitor in sports, I thought the attention to the psyche of such an experience was done implacably and with great taste.

My only quip (which I cannot even quite call a quip because I was still cheering the whole time) is that I wish the last race in the pull had been no music. Just pure water slashing, the reporters calling out remarks, and his (visual hallucinations or thoughts). The music made my subconscious settle into relief too early; I wanted to feel the suspense and tension with Mr. Petkar to the last second. Otherwise, I believe the rest of the movie filmed and portrayed the competition scenes rather well and I found myself holding my breath.

I believe this will be a movie I recommend to many and revisit for inspiration.