Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Singer can't handle the pressure; suicide, smoking, sex.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Qala
What's the Story?
QALA (Triptii Dimri) is from a renowned musical family and she has a nice voice, but her singer mother won't give her the time of day. That dynamic sets in motion a tragic outcome for all involved. All Qala wants is her cruelly withholding mother's praise and approval. Soon Mom (Swastika Mukherjee) discovers a poor young singer named Jagan (Babil Khan), who sings with passion and lives for music. Mom takes him in and calls him her son even though he's of a lower caste. Qala grows increasingly frustrated by the rejection. Just as he's about to record for a famous film music producer, Jagan falls ill and seems to permanently lose his voice. Tragedy ensues. Qala makes the recording instead, her mother kicks her out, and the producer sexually exploits the now homeless girl. Fame and wealth come but Qala becomes more and more depressed and isolated, weeping before recording sessions and still desperate for her estranged mother's approbation. We finally learn that Qala has reason to feel guilty about a terrible deed she did.
Is It Any Good?
Without a sympathetic character to be found, Qala may be one of the most ridiculous movies of the season. A depressed girl who wants her mother's approval falls deeper into desperation. Hysterical deafness, hallucinatory near-catatonia, and self-harm overtake her. Rinse and repeat. That's the plot. We learn only in the film's final minutes the source of her great pain, even as her mother still refuses to embrace her daughter's lovely voice and success. Flashbacks are indistinguishable from present-day scenes as Qala looks the same age in all. Whether in past or present, for two excruciating hours, the characters' arcs budge not one centimeter from where they started. The spineless, depressive daughter never stands up to her cruel, hypocritical, and insensitive mother, and the mother continues to have no sympathy.
Plenty of fanciful nonsense makes the film too long. Qala speaks to Jagan's ghost while surrounded by a scrum of reporters. She imagines a snowstorm in the recording studio and stumbles through her hallucination and the "snowy" studio floor. Mental illness is a fine subject for film, but nothing excuses the stagnant, dragged-out tedium here.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the reason the mother doesn't love her daughter. Do we need to know to understand the movie? Does the movie explain it?
What effect can severe sibling rivalry have on kids? Does the movie depict it realistically? Why or why not?
Why do you think Qala wants her mother's approval so badly? Do you think she could've moved on from that seemingly unattainable goal? Why or why not?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : December 1, 2022
- Cast : Triptii Dimri , Swastika Mukherjee
- Director : Anvita Dutt
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Drama
- Run time : 119 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : December 5, 2022
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate