Boyz 2017

This story follows Kabir “Gayatri” Panigrahi, a boy raised by his mother who is tired of the repeated questions about his father. The tension at home casts a long shadow, and the only real line of communication between them is Kabir’s aunt, Radhika. To escape the fraught atmosphere, his mother and aunt decide, with heavy hearts, to send Kabir to a boarding school, hoping distance might heal what distance itself cannot.

Two years pass, and Kabir has grown into a focused, achievement-driven student who knows how to win at every challenge life throws at him. Yet the question of his father remains a shadow that lingers just beyond reach, influencing his every step and shaping his outlook on belonging and identity.

Enter Dhairya and Dhungya, two village newcomers who arrive at the school as a special case. They carry a reputation for mischief and a carefree approach to life that clashes with the school’s strict, principle-driven routine. Their arrival disrupts the orderly rhythm of the dorms and classrooms, and while Kabir feels irritated at first by these unruly roommates, others in his class soon find themselves drawn to the brothers’ bold, unfiltered outlook.

Amid the new dynamic, Grace—a fellow student—catches Kabir’s eye, and a budding romance begins to bloom. With the bold encouragement of Dhairya and Dhungya, Kabir finds the courage to admit his feelings. In the process of confessing, the trio opens up about their own lives and truths. Dhairya reveals that his father worked in a brick kiln and his parents are determined for him to rise above their own difficult circumstances, while Dhungya shares that his father was a farmer who could not repay a loan and ultimately took his own life. Through these disclosures, the trio learns the power of honesty and the weight of family history—while Kabir continues to grapple with the mystery of his own father.

Complicating the emotional landscape, a medical report brings news that Gayatri is in the last stages of breast cancer. In a poignant effort to mend the fractures between Kabir and his mother, Radhika makes a crucial move by contacting the school’s shared phone and informing them of Gayatri’s condition. Moved by this, Dhairya and Dhungya decide to help reunite Kabir with his mom, underscoring themes of family bonds and reconciliation that run through the film.

Meanwhile, the school’s authority voices its own struggles as Rohan is expelled for poor performance. He confides to friends that his parents are about to divorce, a crisis that has affected his studies. Kabir steps in to help Rohan, guiding him toward a safer escape from the school’s rigors. When Rohan’s father brings him back, the principal administers a public flogging, a harsh moment that sets off a chain reaction. Dhairya refuses to stand by while a friend is punished and accepts the remainder of the punishment himself, a choice that speaks to loyalty and courage in the midst of harsh institutional rules.

The consequences of the mounting tensions are laid bare when the students fill the complaint box with “I HATE YOU” letters. In a twist that exposes the boys’ secret about forging marks to gain admission, the truth comes to light. Yet the school’s classmates rally around Dhairya and Dhungya, choosing solidarity over condemnation and signaling a shift in the community’s attitudes toward outsiders and rule-breakers.

A powerful, intimate moment arrives when the two mischief-makers arrange a video call from Kabir’s home to show him how deeply his mother has missed him over the past two years. The emotional impact of that moment drives Kabir to a tearful but hopeful reconciliation with his mother, aligning him once again with the people who matter most.

In the end, the trio—Kabir, Dhairya, and Dhungya—reunite at the hostel, facing the future with a renewed sense of possibility. Kabir’s quiet, resolute reassurance—“stop worrying”—acts as a quiet creed for a group of friends who have learned the hard truths of family, friendship, and resilience. The film closes on a note of tempered optimism, inviting the audience to weigh the value of perseverance, love, and belonging against the pressures of identity, illness, and social expectations.