'Rooting for Roona': Release date, plot, trailer and all you need to know about Netflix docu on healthcare
While Netflix is great at bringing us documentaries ranging from true crime to history, it is rare that the streaming service (or the other services for that matter) release one on healthcare. There is no dearth of healthcare issues on the planet and for those of us who did not study medicine, there are still many unknown diseases that we have never heard of or seen.
However, this October, Netflix is bringing a new healthcare documentary all the way from India about a girl who was cruelly dubbed by the media as the "giant head". Roona Begum was an Indian child who was born with hydrocephalus which is a fatal condition that causes cerebrospinal fluid to clog in the brain making it swollen. In 2017, she died at the age of 5 before she could get her corrective surgery. Roona's story is the subject of 'Rooting for Roona'. Read on to know more details about the documentary.
Release date
'Rooting for Roona' will be released on Netflix on Thursday, October 15, at 12 am PST.
Plot
The official synopsis for the film states:
'Rooting For Roona' is a documentary film that centers on a baby girl Roona Begum, who is born into a poor Bengali family and her fight for survival.
'Rooting For Roona' captures the incredible story of baby Roona, a one-and-a-half-year-old girl born in a tiny village in the state of Tripura, India. She suffers from hydrocephalus, a birth defect caused by a build-up of fluid in the brain, leading to massive swelling of the head. Roona’s parents Abdul and Fatema are poor daily wage earners. The story describes how the villagers and relatives of Roona’s parents look upon the girl as a pariah and advise tell them to give up the girl to an orphanage.
But Roona’s parents fight to do the best for her. They are turned away by doctors in their state, as Roona’s condition is difficult to treat. Luckily, Roona’s story is highlighted in the media, after which a private hospital in Delhi, a Norwegian NGO that helped raise money for her treatment, and the royal family of Tripura get together to provide to Roona the care that she needs. After multiple surgeries, Roona slowly heads to recovery. 'Rooting For Roona' is a touching documentary that reminds society about its responsibility towards the future of the world – its children, and especially the underprivileged children of the world.
Producers
'Rooting for Roona' is produced by Curley Street Films with and is directed by Pavitra Chalam and Akshay Shankar.
Trailer
If you like this, you'll love these:
'Limitless'
'I Am Maris'
'What The Health'
'The Bleeding Edge'
'Unrest'