Wonder
Director: Stephen Chbosky. Cast: Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Jacob Tremblay, Mandy Patinkin, Daveed Diggs. 2017. 113 minutes.
August (Auggie) is a boy with a born disability called ‘Treacher Collins syndrome,’ a condition that affects the shape of a child’s skull and face. Auggie has had twenty-seven surgeries and is home-schooled, since Auggie’s father is anxious about his being ill-treated and bullied at school. But his determined mother enrolls him in a regular school in order to integrate him socially. Except for his strange face, Auggie is a normal kid loved by his parents, his sister Olivia and their dog. He is mischievous, fun-loving and a great fan of Star Wars movies and space science, making him wear his space helmet to school. Olivia accompanies him to school. Being bullied and friendless, he sometimes gets frustrated with his strange appearance and asks his mother, “Why am I so ugly?” Soon Auggie rises to the challenges and gets tough. His resourcefulness and self-deprecatory humour make him popular. His presence helps the others to learn to accept and even admire his qualities. Olivia feels a certain amount of sibling jealousy on account of all the attention that Auggie receives. But she, Auggie and one of their friends team up to do a science project. The climax is when Auggie is awarded the Henry Ward Beecher Medal for his courage and strength during the year. He has a message for everyone: “Be kind, for everyone is fighting a hard battle. And, if you really want to see what people are, all you have to do is look.”
Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl
Director: Sharan Sharma. Cast: Janhvi Kapoor, Pankaj Tripathi, Angad Bedi. 2020. 112 minutes.
A brilliantly fictionalized biopic of Gunjan Saxena, the first Indian Air Force woman officer who went to war. It shows how a Lucknow girl’s dream is realized through determination courage and resilience in the face of discouragement. In 1984, during her first travel in an airplane, Gujan Saxena fights with her brother for the window seat. A flight attendant takes her to visit the cockpit. That moment is the turning point when the girl begins to nurture the ‘impossible’ dream of becoming a pilot–a profession not regarded as a womanly pursuit, especially by her loving but conventional mother. When she completes school with excellent grades, Gunjan has to fight with her mother and brother to pursue her dream of flying. Her father supports her. But getting into the air force is no easy task. Apart from it being a male domain entirely, Gunjan is not able to qualify. She also faces strong discouragement from her brother, who is an army officer, and from her mother. They tell her: “Air force is not for women!” With staunch support from her father Anup, she tries and is the only one selected for training as a helicopter pilot. But she is rejected for being overweight, and one centre too short. Once again her father stands by her and together they undertake a rigorous slimming regimen in which she sheds seven kilogrammes. Her lack of height is compensated by the length of her arms and legs which are sufficient for the job. The tough part is to cope with the rigours of training schedules, to put up with male prejudice and skepticism and the inconveniences of having no facilities for women in the camp. She is not given enough flight hours to qualify till one trainer finally decides to help. She trains in all earnest and gives up her decision to leave when the Kargil war begins. Against her brother’s discouragement, she volunteers to undertake several dangerous mountain rescue operations for wounded Indian soldiers fighting on the Kargil front. When flying solo behind a colleague, the other pilot is shot down. Gunjan proves her mettle by taking huge risks under enemy fire to rescue the wounded pilot. She is honoured by the army for her daring and courage. The movie has its moments of thrilling action and suspense, but it is more about bursting the myths of male dominance in the services.
Prof Gigy Joseph
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