Review: It’s All in Your Head (2023)

Dhruv Solanki's debut feature film, It Is All in Your Head (2023), tells the story of a group of young urban people, residing in rented flats in Baroda, Gujarat. The ensemble cast of the film consists of real-life siblings from the Rajpurohit family. They are confident individuals with conflicted choices. Their struggles are real, their problems relatable, and their dreams are modest. The enthusiasm with which they grapple with their circumstances endows the film with quiet pathos.

The story of the film revolves around the lives of the six Rajpurohit siblings over a single day. Jyotsana is an independent photographer and lives with her sister Bonita, who aspires to be a model. She has an assignment to shoot a couple later in the day. Before she sets off for work, she discovers that Bonita has left her scooter at her friend's place because it is out of petrol. Irked, Jyotsana leaves her flat and visits her cousin, Bhagyashree, who works at an accountancy firm. Bhagyashree shares the flat with the other siblings: Manshree, who aspires to be a model, and Bhuvesh, who aspires to be a dancer. What follows is a series of events in which the siblings navigate their day-to-day lives.

Taking on the responsibilities of adulthood is a demanding feat, and this is precisely what forms the crux of the film. Shot on an iPhone, it is an extremely low-budget independent light-hearted drama inserted with moments of subtle humour. It is a sweet and honest treatise on young folks trying to find themselves amid the ever-so-withering complications of current life. The characters are modern in their sensibilities and aware of the harsh realities of the world around them. Their discourses are wide-ranging, from making chapattis in an induction plate to being mistrustful of relationships, unwilling to knit into the ecosystem of dating apps, and wariness of corporate jobs. As these young people balance their professional lives and carefree existence, they are confronted with decisions that will shape their future.

The two cinematographers, Devaankur Sinha and Jyotsna Rajpurohit have visually structured the film mostly with static frames. There is a fluidity in their carefully composed frames that bring an intimate insight into the lives of the characters living within the confined spaces. Bonita Rajpurohit has edited the film with an unhurried pace and gives it a seamless and rhythmic flow. Ketaki Chakradeo’s sound design is observant. She incorporates ambient and diegetic sound into the narrative with such precision that it heightens the sense of reality.  

It’s All in Your Head is a charming lighthearted indie film that does not play to the gallery. It pushes the boundaries of traditional storytelling and demonstrates that making a film doesn’t require a lot of resources. Solanki proves that he is a confident filmmaker and has his finger firmly on the pulse of his generation. Such attributes make him a fierce and moving voice to watch out for.

You can watch the film in Open Theater.

*****