‘Green Girl’ Movie Review: An Exquisite Take On Love And Hate In Today’s India

There is a lot to be mesmerised by in Sarthak Hegde’s Kannada film Green Girl; its use of colour to symbolise the divides between lovers of differing religions, deftness in soft and understated staging of a scene, its seamless grasp over young romance, and genre-defying music… all inside a breathless 40-minute structure. But the aspect that Green Girl conquers most is its tact in merging striking form and content to give us a luminous film that is as political as it is romantic. 

Green Girl is largely based on the tender romance that sustains Jeevan (Mayur Gowda) and Ameena (Sucharitha Haritas), two 19-something-year-olds living radically different lives in coastal Karnataka. Their economic backgrounds are rarely touched upon, but their differences run deep on account of their religion. As much as they try to deny it — “It’s 2024. Who cares about Hindu-Muslim romances anymore?” an exasperated Ameena says at one point in the film — their faith is always lurking behind shadows, ready to devour their resilience. Their interfaith union makes for some wonderful observations. “How different is your head garb from mine?” asks Jeevan, when Ameena derides the saffron scarf on his head. 

Mayur Gowda in 'Green Girl'

It also doesn’t help their case that Jeevan is part of an aggressive, far-right outfit that indoctrinates islamophobia by equating interfaith love to trash that needs to be “cleaned up.” 40 minutes is very little time for a film of this nature to cover all aspects of the “love is political” messaging that Green Girl so vividly ascribes to. But what the film doesn’t do with dialogue, it makes up for with stunning montages that are cut with a brilliant hand. Montages of children performing a skit of “Mother India” stay with you much after the film ends, reminding you not to forget our secular roots. 

It is important to note here that the hand that cuts these shots is also light. Scenes of Jeevan’s recurring nightmare — which gets a beautiful payoff in the climax — aren’t jarring in a film that is rooted in reality. It adds staggering depth to an otherwise concise film. Gowda and Haritas are exceptional as perplexed young adults, not knowing what to do with the massive hate that their surnames unwittingly unleash on them. Their love is so sturdy, but Hegde always remembers not to be swept by searing romance. They are 19 after all, and they are allowed to be their age. 

Sucharitha Haritas in 'Green Girl'

Jeevan flirts with Ameena by talking about other women, Ameena playfully pushes Jeevan to bump a smoke, laughing off a pregnancy scare over popsicles, both often never really realising that they are one step away from terribly altering their lives. But they don’t… care. Young love doesn’t know how to be careful. But Hegde also doesn’t make their romance frivolous. Their relationship is rock solid because it springs out of a long-term friendship that has spanned since school. 

Surya Srini’s music is a fantastic accompaniment to the film’s structure, which keeps changing between dreamy and harsh. While the film could’ve done with a lot more nuance with the addition of just a few more minutes, Green Girl is still a film that shakes you up.