Rabia And Olivia Review: BA Pass 2’ Fame Director Shadab Khan’s heartwarming story has a universal appeal​.

Story: A young Indian woman gets implicated in a child negligence case in Canada after she tries to help a little girl, as her nanny.

Synopsis

Review: Rabia Syed (Nayab Khan) gets a ray of hope when she lands a job as a nanny to Olivia (Helena Prinzen-Klages), a motherless girl, who is suffering from a condition called night terrors. Losing her mother all of a sudden and heavy medication has made Olivia a bitter child. Her father Mark (Nathan Bragg) is too busy to personally take care of her, so he hires nannies, but Olivia’s aggressive behaviour drives them all away. Until one day, Rabia walks into her life and things begin to change.

It’s a sweet and simple story that has its heart in the right place. Writer-Director Shadab Khan (of ‘BA Pass 2’ fame) explores the life of Indian and Pakistani expats in Canada quite deftly and effectively
highlights the issue of racism. It’s the sort of thing that runs in the background and raises its ugly head at the slightest of opportunity. It shows just how vulnerable a person of colour or an expat can be in the West, even today. Rabia’s character symbolises many young people, who leave India for greener pastures abroad, but have to do odd jobs to survive. It also shows how the desi community binds together in times of crisis to help each other. It’s a heartwarming story that is relatable for people, who live in a foreign land and away from their families.

Sheeba Chaddha as Rabia’s mother once again proves her mettle as an ace performer. The actress is pitch perfect in bringing about the goodness and the pain of a mother, who only has the best interest of
her child and everyone else, despite leading a hard life. She brings about the anxieties and helplessness of a parent and what they go through when their child is abroad, all alone, and especially, when
they land in trouble. Actress Nayab Khan is aptly cast in a leading role and carries off her part well. She shows the required restraint in performing her role. Child artist Helena Prinzen-Klages performs
decently well and so do the rest of the character artists. The story is largely predictable but flows at a consistent pace and keeps you engaged in how the situation will unfold next.

Shot extensively in Canada and some parts in India, ‘Rabia and Olivia’ is a film that will relate mostly to the NRIs and people who have lived in a Western country. However, its messaging is universal. It’s
a story that doesn’t have a villain, as such, but shows how sometimes, the circumstances can lead people to make the wrong choices. It’s this reality of life that strikes the right chord with the audience.