Top critic
Indian Express
Film review ·
Fairytales do come true and the story of Poorna Malavath is the proof. Her biopic, directed by Rahul bose, does justice to the extraordinary story of a 13-year-old tribal girl climbing Mt Everest.


Sincere and well-acted, but the storytelling is too flat to do justice to its subject.
Verdict tier Mixed, lukewarm or divided, on a scale of Unfavorable, Mixed, Recommended, Exceptional.
Not streaming in India
Critic consensus
Critical reception for Poorna is moderately positive, with most reviewers appreciating the film's sincerity and Rahul Bose's restrained, empathetic direction. Critics frequently praised the grounded performances, the sensitivity with which the real-life story is handled, and the film's straightforward, uncluttered storytelling approach. The most common criticism centers on the narrative execution — several reviewers found the telling tedious or overly simplistic, with one noting one-dimensional characters due to simplistic dialogue, and others suggesting the film fails to fully capture the complexity of its rural setting.
Positive = 6.5/10 and up · negative = below 5/10
AI-generated summary of 17 critic reviews · may contain errors
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Top critics first, then by score · not-rated last · updated
Top critic
Film review ·
Fairytales do come true and the story of Poorna Malavath is the proof. Her biopic, directed by Rahul bose, does justice to the extraordinary story of a 13-year-old tribal girl climbing Mt Everest.
Top critic
Film review ·
It is a rare Hindi film that travels to the heart of rural landscape...
Film review ·
Barring minor flaws, Poorna has all the makings of a film that's both entertaining and thought-provoking. Now it remains to be seen how well the audience receives it.
Film review ·
Bose made his directorial debut with a reasonably fine, 'Everybody Says I'm Fine' (2001), a seriously upper-class South Bombay English movie with a touch of magic realism. This one could have well been in Telugu. It may be diametrically opposite to his debut. But delivered with much subtly, empathy, and remarkable restraint. Or as they say, on the Internet, delivered #LikeABose!
Film review ·
Take a bow, Mr Bose. Poorna is not just a tale of the triumph of the human spirit. We all have a Poorna inside us waiting to conquer our own Everest.
Film review ·
Returning to a directorial capacity after 16 years, Rahul Bose recognizes the beauty in simplicity and uses it to the film's advantage. Grounded performances combined with stirring music elevate this relatively straightforward tale, making it essential viewing not only for the young Indian woman, but for anyone looking to scale great heights against all odds.
Film review ·
The film handles that with reverence and sensitivity while addressing it's additional motive: to deliver a message about realising dreams, maximising opportunities, encouraging the marginalised to break out of community constraints and caste shackles.
Film review ·
POORNA is a story that needs to be told. The movie upholds the power of will, determination and confidence that can make you scale the highest peak, it's a small little motivating gem recommended for those who look for some meaning in their life and cinema.
Film review ·
'Poorna' is a beautiful messaged based film which displays a real life heroic tale of a young girl from the rural parts of India.
Film review ·
The film is a sincere attempt at recreating Poorna Malavath's historic feat and conveying the message of empowering the girl child.
Film review ·
There are no digressions here to blend jaw-dropping footage of the attempt to climb Mt. Everest with a dramatic back story to reach the summit. And thank God for that! Bose tells the perilous story of Poorna without clutter and focuses on human endurance and dilemma. Viewers would instantly empathise with her. The only negative aspect could be the simplistic dialogues that make most characters one-dimensional.
Film review ·
Poorna has its heart in the right place. It's like that comfort food which warms you up on days when things go low. Go for it if you are looking out for some extraordinary stories of ordinary people!
Film review ·
As they say 'Beauty lies in simplicity,' Rahul Bose's 'Poorna' is as simple as its characters and much more beautiful. With no big actors(except Rahul), quintessential acting and loads of motivational and inspirational stuff, the film is a must watch. You will surely not be disappointed with this one and will return home with a new perspective towards life.
Film review ·
Poorna is well intentioned and but in its hunt for ticket revenues and be palatable for a Hindi-speaking city audience, it sabotages what could have been a great film. Watch it strictly for the newbies.
Film review ·
At best, Poorna should have been a short film that tells us an inspiring story. Not a must-watch as a feature film.
Film review ·
Poorna is the story of Poorna Malavath, who at 13 years became the youngest girl to climb Mount Everest. Although the story is inspiring, the telling of the tale is tedious.
Film review ·
This movie is a perfect example of a city-bred director scanning our heartlands, and instead of taking in all the complexity, all the denseness, stopping to ask himself, "What are the corrections I can highlight in these lives, and how do I stitch together a narrative around these corrections?"
From our readers
3 ratings · user score 6.3
Decent best : acting ( lead ) , story weakness : Loopholes in plot , much commercial taste ( at times )
It's no problem even if you don't watch this film. But to know the dynamic story, you must watch it. And why you must? Because it's an efficient film. This affectionate-for-entertainment directorial by Rahul Bose is a beautiful, catchy film which gets most of itself very right: the local culture of the underdog tribal girl, the mentor Praveen and the success coming with fully-fledged nationalism without any chest-thumping- all these things make Poorna a memorable film. Watch it in parts, or only the parts- but make time for it. I'm going with 3.5 stars and sure that it is one of the best of the year.
Credits
Hindi films like Poorna: Courage Has No Limit