When a tragedy occurs, people tend to blame themselves, but this misplaced blame can have consequences that last for generations.
Calorie
Calorie is a beautiful Canadian/Hindi film set mostly in India. Written and directed by Eisha Marjara, and starring Tia Bhatia, Shanaya Dhillon-Birmhan, Ashley Ganger, Ellora Patnaik, Dolly Ahluwalia, and Anupam Kher, it’s a tribute to the Canadian citizens who lost their lives in a terrorist attack in 1985 when a bomb exploded on Air India flight 182, which lost 329 souls, 86 of whom were children.
Monika (Ellora Patnaik), a Sikh-Canadian, has kept a secret from her two teenage daughters, Alia (Shanaya Dhillon-Birmhan) and Simi (Ashley Ganger). The youngest, 13-year-old Alia, is obsessed with counting calories; she goes as far as hiding the protein drinks that her mother demands that she drink…and she pretends to chew her food as she carefully hides it inside her napkin. Simi is a wild 17-year-old who sings in a band and plans to move in with a boyfriend.
When Monica is unable to travel to India to visit her Auntie (Dolly Ahluwalia) and Uncle (Anupam Kher) because of business obligations, she sends the girls to India on their own. They have never been to India, and they have no idea of the customs or food, and this plays havoc with Alia, who is counting those calories as if her life depended on it. As the girls become accustomed to the beauty of multi colors sounds and tastes that India has to offer, their uncle tells them the truth about their grandmother’s death. When Monika finally arrives in India, she finds her daughters withdrawn and angry with her. When a tragedy occurs, people tend to blame themselves…even if they had a very small part in what destiny had already planned.
Conclusion
I have never been to India, but I have many good friends who were born there. Films usually portray India as poor and impoverished, and in some sections, that might be true, but Eisha Marjara’s film shows India in all its glory. The colours of both the scenery and clothing are absolutely stunning. My favourite part is how Alia and Simi, at first, fight their Auntie’s guidance to blend in…only to later in the film, go full Sikh. But Calorie also addresses racism, the caste system, grief, and the trauma left on the living after any terrorist attack.
Calorie was so beautifully written, and the acting was so believable that I will be watching it a few more times. Calorie will be coming to theatres on November 28th and will then be available on Netflix, Amazon Prime and HBO.
