Riddhi Oberoi

Neerukulla 35km (2025) drops you right in the thick of rural India, where the landscape itself feels like a character—dusty, harsh, and somehow beautiful. Riddhi Oberoi stars as Anika, a quietly defiant schoolteacher who’s honestly just had enough of the usual nonsense. The film isn’t some glossy, sanitized version of village life. Instead, it’s raw and, yeah, kind of unfiltered. The story kicks off when a bunch of villagers, tired of their water getting snatched up by a neighboring town, decide they’re going to take matters into their own hands. They’ve got to trek 35 kilometers—on foot, in the blazing sun, with nothing but a battered old cart—to fight for the most basic thing: water. What’s wild is how the movie doesn’t just hammer you with melodrama. There’s frustration, sure, but there’s also these weirdly hilarious moments—like when the group’s self-appointed leader keeps getting lost, or when an old uncle tries to bribe a goat for directions (yeah, it’s that kind of movie). Through all the bickering, sweat, and stubborn hope, the film dives deep into what pushes ordinary people to become, well, a bit extraordinary. You see friendships tested, secrets spill out, and that relentless grit it takes to keep moving even when everything feels hopeless. By the end, you’re rooting for them, not just to find water, but to prove that even the smallest voices can shake things up. Neerukulla 35km isn’t trying to be a lecture—it’s messy, honest, and honestly, pretty damn inspiring.