The film reminded me of my hometown. A small place near Kolkata. A place that produces many state level table tennis players. To these people in my native place, table tennis is not a game; it's a path to freedom. Freedom to enjoy the life people in bigger cities take for granted. The players are fighting hard to achieve a state level status and then look for government jobs that offer stability and pension.
The struggle of the characters in the film represents what the millennials in the smaller towns of India are going through. These towns are exposed to the world thanks to internet and satellite television, but have to live under restrictions imposed by their not so open minded earlier generations.
It's ironic that the world is changing so fast but many of the smaller towns are still trying to live the life that ceased to exist long back.
It is becoming an eternal struggle. And for the ones who escape such traumatic circumstances are lucky. But then there are many who are doomed to live in that claustrophobic environment suffering the ridicule and indifference of their surroundings.
I hope someday it will all change and everyone will have the equal opportunity to take a shot at their dream lives and live it in peace. Amen.
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