I can’t think of another film I saw recently that stayed with me like Killa has. This incredible Marathi film by debutant Avinash Arun tells the simple coming-of-age story of an 11-year-old boy in rural Maharashtra, but there’s such emotional truth to his experiences and his journey that it’ll feel real and familiar even to those raised in very different circumstances.

‘Killa’ is about a boy. Have you been one? Have you attempted to make sense of a world that makes very little sense, after your father passes away, leaving your mother alone? How do you go? Whose shoes do you fill? Whose footsteps do you follow? Avinash Arun’s National-award winning directorial debut is about that boy in this movie, but it could just as well be any of us, because those are questions we all grapple with when it comes to growing past, growing up.

Killa is a deep film with lofty ambitions, and there are parts — like the unpredictability of a moment that ends in a bite of fish — where the film soars jawdroppingly high.

Yet, I suspect the scenes that leave you awestruck aren’t the point of Killa. This is even better. This is a film you should watch for its lovely, lovely lulls.

Avinash Arun’s incredible debut film explores unusual themes delicately and expertly — the frustration of not belonging, the search for home, the weight of loss, the frustrations of single-parenting. In one scene, Chinmay sets off in a boat, out to the vastness of the sea, letting his mind slowly still and take in the beauty before him. Viewers of Killa can expect a similar experience.

Directed by debutante Avinash Arun who is also a cinematographer, the film is a nostalgic trip down the memory – you will cheer, you will laugh and you will also feel a lump in your throat during the course of the film. Everyone will relate to the characters, especially the children and their days of innocence…Among other things, Killa reminds us that the best things in life are indeed free.

Don’t miss this film. It is one of those precious little watches that’s capable of giving a quick bout of spring cleaning to your heart, bringing out a few uncomfortable emotions that one otherwise keeps tucked in untouched corners. And if you are lucky, you get a joyride back to your carefree, childhood days too.

The film yanks us back to when we were young and reintroduces us to a world of exams, bullies, Camlin pencil boxes and cycles. Refreshingly, as it is in the real world, the kids that fill Killa are not beyond streaks of extreme cruelty and arrogance.

Killa is not a film for children. Sure, it is a trip to nostalgia, but the issues dealt with are deep and thought-provoking. Watch it to refresh your soul.

Killa makes you feel you have seen very little, like a lot was left unexplored. This is without even brining in comparisons from films like Balak Palak or Vihir or Shaala or their Hindi second cousin like Udaan. In absolute terms to, Killa falls short after you’ve taken in the initial beauty of its frames.

Uncertainty, emotion and subtle humor are the three important elements that make this film such a delight to watch.