Sixteen – Film Review
Good take on All about lost innocence and teenage heartache!
Film: Sixteen
Director: Raj Purohit
Cast: Izabelle Leite, Mehak Manwani, Warmiqa Gabbi, Highphill Mathews, Varun Zhamb, Zakir Hussain & Prabhleen Sandhu.
Rating: 
In the last decade, we have seen a marked change in the growing up phase of the young jet sets of today, who were toddlers then but are now in their 14’s,15’s ,16’s & 17’s.But lets talk about 16’s – SIXTEEN, because that is how director Raj Purohit has decided to name his film & revolve the story around.
Earlier, School was the second home & college was the space, when these teenagers would breathe openly. But today in time of mobile, internet, malls, multiplexes, fast food, fast culture, everything seems to be moving fast. Today a coffee café day, Barista, Hookah bar, Chai Addas & so on seem to be the meeting point & melting point to make it a bit more elaborate.
Raj Purohit seems to be living the experiences of the 4 main protagonists & people around them, in their own natural style & flavor, without any coating or flattery as it is. Yet another coming of age drama of lost innocence & teenage heart ache. (Wamiqa Gabbi) –Tanisha is quite an opinionated girl; she expresses herself & expects the same from her companion. She likes mature men because of their maturity & intelligence & for the same reason develops rapport with a fiction writer Keith Sequera who has flown from London to understand & experience the scene out, here, in Delhi.
Anu (Isabelle Leite) is feisty & a stunner. She’s full of confidence & ‘IT girl’ material. She has her moments with her parents sorted out in a more dignified manner than could be expected. Then there is this girl Nidhi (Mehek Manwani) who finds herself in hospital due to an unthought-of, after effect of an act which she thought called for celebration.
Then there is Ashwin (Highphill Mathews) whose parents want him to become an IAS officer & is constantly being rebuked & undermined for the same. Of the cast Isabelle & Wamiqa stand out with their performance. Highphill, Mehek, Keith Sequera do play their part equally well. With fleeting roles well enacted by Tanisha’s Bua (Aunt) (Prabhleen Sandhu), & Zakir Hussain who has excelled in his portrayal.
Music, Editing & Camera work are Okay, but the director has scored on one front & that is keeping, I’d rather say staying true to the spirit of young jet set with their inbuilt characteristic traits. Having got U/A certificate. Certainly the censors must have knocked down quit a few scenes but the one liners that have stayed, spells volumes for the mindset, attitude and level of confidence of Sixteen’s of todays.
