Movie Review: Gippi

Starring Riya Viji, Jayati Modi, Doorva Tripathi, Arbaaz Kadwani, Divya Dutta

Star rating ****

Judging the amount of promotion that Gippi has received via YouTube, i was excited yet wary of this film. Bollywood in recent years has fallen into promoting films so much that by the time it releases, it just seems like it overly marketed and never lives up to its promises. Gippi came across as the same but i really wanted to watch it because it was meant to be an simple story of a teenage girl trying to find love and her own identity. The soundtrack was equally preppy with tracks like 'Bhen di Takki' being a fun and catchy track to draw in the audience.

Gippi aka Gurpreet (Riya Viji) is a 14 year old confused teenage girl living with her brother Booboo (Arbaaz Kadwani) and her divorced mother Pappi (Divya Dutta) in Shimla. Gippi is an overweight, unpopular average student who is neither exceptional at sports or her studies. She instead, is often ridiculed by popular and beautiful Shamira (Jayati Modi) and is challenged by her to become the head girl at school. Gippi soon realises that this will be a tough task for her and supported by her loyal friend Anchal (Doorva Tripathi), she begins the uphill task to win the elections. As a side story, you also have the love story between Gippi and bad boy character Arjun (Taaha Shah) in the background.

Remember being a teenager and finding every single day a struggle at school, this is Gippi's life and it is so brilliantly portrayed in this film. No actress has ever looked as awkward on screen as Riya Viji but that is her charm in this film and you really do just want to give her a hug throughout this film. Whilst she inhabits this vulnerable and naive character in school, at home, she has this lovely close relationship with her mother who is facing her husband remarrying. Taaha Shah is hot on screen and plays the bad boy flawlessly, he leaves the audience a little bit infatuated with him too. No doubt this was the intention and i think when you leave the cinema, you will leave a little bit nostalgic for those years. The confusion, awkwardness and eagerness to please were all emotions we all felt at 14 and we are all very glad that we never have to feel those again. A feel good film which reminds us that there is always a simple time in life.