Spin review: Avantika Vandanapu-Abhay Deol’s film is a cliched teen story that's still delightful to watch

3/5

Story:

Spin tells the story of Rhea (Avantika Vandanapu), an Indian-American nerdy teen, who finds her passion in DJing, but is too afraid to pursue it as a career because of a strict Indian father. However, she finally gathers the courage to take part in a music competition with the help of her friends and grandmother.

Review:

The dinner sequence featuring Rhea’s father, Arvind (Abhay Deol), looks as fancy and pretty as it can in a Disney teen movie. The film begins with a scene featuring Indian thalis showcasing dishes like chicken biryani, butter chicken, naan in beautiful cutleries. Initially, Spin looks like a food-based movie.

However, like most Disney teen movies, Spin introduces the American love interest of an Indian nerdy girl, who doesn’t have a mother but is being loved by a grandparent as well as has a strict father and a younger brother. It also establishes her set of friends including a gay best friend and an Asian pal as well, which might remind you of Mindy Kailing’s Netflix show Never Have I Ever.

The friends-list of the protagonist also includes a social media influencer, who isn’t mean and doesn’t carry the spoilt brat attitude and even loves to be around her nerdy friends from school (that somehow looks uncanny but it's fresh). The scene dedicated to the festival of colours, Holi, as well as Rhea's desi attire, besides the finale costume with all the jewellery, exude an Indian vibe.

Rhea, who is too mature for her age is seen handling multiple workloads, helping her dad in his family business, a friend in fulfilling his dream and working with her friends from the coding class, while a few scenes later find herself confused with unhappy people around her. These plot tropes remind us of multiple Hollywood teen movies like the Joey King starrer The Kissing Booth and To All the Boys I've Loved Before.

Abhay, as a serious father who masks his emotions owing to workload, is convincing but the role doesn’t suit the charming actor.

Furthermore, Rhea, who has always been the obedient daughter, goes onto become the rebellious girl to pursue her passion, which felt like a repetitive plot in a teen movie. Meanwhile, the end was predictable but it does make the audience emotional. Rhea adds a personal and sentimental twist to her spin, which is a treat to our senses. The fusion EDM track reflects Indian culture. While in the end, a scene between Rhea and her father reminds us of the Shah Rukh Khan starrer DDLJ finale, where Simran's father tells her to go and live her life to the fullest.

Verdict:

Multiple scenes remind us of other Hollywood teen movies and a pattern of hurdles often noticed in these films. However, Spin does give the Indo-American movie its own twist and a desi vibe with its Indian cuisine, attires and the Holi celebration sequence. Spin merits a watch, especially for the young-adult audience.