Super Deluxe left me thinking about the way we judge others and the time we spend questioning our own choices. Its stories bring together people whose lives refuse to fit neatly into society's expectations.
These are the reflections I took from the film: accepting differences, questioning inherited beliefs and learning to live with the path we have chosen.
Spoiler note: This article discusses Raasukutty's relationship with his parent.
Why We Keep Questioning Our Choices
Our minds can jump from one possibility to another. We make a decision, then wonder whether the alternative would have made us happier. Even after choosing a path, we may keep imagining the one we left behind.
The film made me reflect on how easily this habit can complicate life. We cannot know every possible outcome. Sometimes moving forward begins with giving the present a fair chance.
Question the Judgement, Not a Person's Worth
Society's approval is not a reliable measure of someone's worth. Expectations change, and a belief repeated by many people still deserves to be examined.
My takeaway is to listen to our conscience while thinking carefully about how our actions affect others. Before joining in a judgement, we can ask whether we are responding with understanding or simply repeating what we have been taught.
Make Room for Differences
People differ in language, appearance, interests and ways of living. A difference does not need to become a reason for humiliation.
Respect should not depend on similarity. We can disagree with someone without insulting them or excluding them. An inclusive society begins with these everyday choices.
What Raasukutty Teaches Us About Acceptance
Raasukutty's affection for his parent is one of the film's most moving ideas. While the adults around them struggle with prejudice, he wants his parent to stay and be part of his life.
The parent who returns is a transgender woman. Raasukutty's love is not withdrawn because of her gender identity. He accepts her as part of his family, without demanding that she become someone else.
His response brings the article's central thought into focus: care for the person in front of you. Affection can be far less complicated than the rules adults build around it.
Making Room for the Life We Have
What if I had chosen arts instead of engineering? What if I had taken a different job? These questions are familiar, but revisiting them endlessly can take attention away from what we can do now.
We each have our own journey. Learning from the past can help us move forward; constantly measuring life against an imagined alternative can leave us standing still.
That is the thought I carried away from Super Deluxe: be more accepting of others, kinder to yourself and more present in your own life. There is still room to laugh, make a new choice and enjoy an ordinary moment.
Film reference: Super Deluxe on Netflix.