Bollywood filmmaker-producer Karan Johar on Monday called Netflix’s British crime drama series Adolescence a “wake-up call” for parents raising their children in the times of social media.
Emphasising the complexities of parenting, Johar wrote, “To be a Parent… I have always known that raising a child is as much a blessing as it is an arduous responsibility… No book or podcast can prepare you or teach you to be the best version of yourself as a parent …what you need to first be is the best version of YOURSELF .. the very best…”
Johar added, “What you say, how you say it, what you feel and how you express it… your habits, your behaviour, your ideologies, your politics… EVERYTHING is eventually going to rub off on your child… they are embodiments of your soul… you may not realise the reflection but they will mirror you…”
In his review, the My Name is Khan directed compared his childhood with the lives of youths today. Kids these days are growing up in the alarming phase of ‘comparisons’ rather than engrossing themselves in ‘self-discovery’, he said.
“Adolescence is a wake up loud call to parents who are raising children in times of social media… I grew up on conversations, they speak in emojis… I grew up on books, they scroll reels... I grew up on self-discovery, they are surrounded by comparisons… the pandemic is NOW.”
Dropped on March 14, Adolescence emerged as the most-watched show on the platform last week, with over 24 million views in the first four days.
Despite being marvelled by the technical brilliance of Adolescence as a filmmaker, especially for each episode of the show being filmed in a single take, Karan found the series heartbreaking as a parent.
“This gut-wrenching show is more a mirror to parenting and social media commentary than anything I have seen or been impacted by recently…. The gaze of perceived masculinity…. The impact of bullying … the turning a blind eye to child habits and patterns… This 4 episode mini-series is a blasterclass for Parents. The Technical marvel of 4 groundbreaking long shots moved me as a filmmaker but broke me as a parent,” Johar wrote.
Starring Owen Cooper, Stephen Graham, Ashley Walters, Erin Doherty, Faye Marsay, Christine Tremarco and Mark Stanley, the four-episode series tells the story of Jamie Miller (Cooper), a 13-year-old boy, arrested for the murder of his classmate, Katie. Though Miller pleads innocence, the police build a strong case against him, leaving both Miller and his family ostracised.
