Chiquita is a cross-cultural spiritual drama that follows Charles, a 60yr old American biker in a conservative Southern American town, who embarks on a quietly radical journey inward.On a fateful night, Charles, recovering from a painful divorce, crashes into a valley and there he encounters a mysterious little girl. What unfolds that night, sets Charles on an unexpected and transformative journey of self discovery.
If you’ve ever wondered what happens when yoga meets a man who is as wild as a mustang on the open-range Chiquita is your answer. Watch it on Amazon Prime Now. It’s also streaming on many other OTTs.
Yes, this is something that both audiences and early critics on IMDB.com unanimously agree on (check here) : the direction has been praised for its patient pacing, allowing scenes to breathe and develop organically. The cinematography beautifully blends the rugged Texan landscape with ethereal visions, with striking visuals—especially the valley, night skies, and green aura scenes—that leave a lasting impression. The musical score is described as “experimental and beautiful,” perfectly enhancing the film’s spiritual texture. It’s rare for an indie film to balance technical polish with spiritual resonance as seamlessly as Chiquita does.
Reviews on IMDb , Rotten Tomatoes, Letterboxd and social media praise Chiquita as a deeply moving, authentic film. Viewers often highlight its emotional depth, striking visuals, and the way it handles spirituality without preaching. One user said the father‑daughter conversation is “real, raw, and psychological” with “broad‑mindedness and grace.” For viewers interested in Eastern philosophies, meditation, mindfulness, or the Divine Feminine, Chiquita offers an accessible bridge: Western setting, Texan biker, but deeply rooted in spiritual traditions of India. These affirm that Chiquita works as both crossover cinema (East meets West) and a soul‑searching, inner journey film.
The film is brought to life with the charming performance of Jody Dean, who plays Charles—it’s impossible not to fall in love with his voice. To be fair, Cy Gane, who plays the young neighbor Freyja, Brett Butler as the daughter Anna, Kara Rainer as the wife, and, last but not least, Olivia as the granddaughter, all deliver fantastic performances as well. While some characters have more limited screen time, none of them fall short in their impact.
[Spoiler Alert] “Chiquita” means “little girl” in Spanish, but the word carries a deeper symbolic meaning in the film, which you’ll only discover by watching it. In a poetic twist, when Charles whispers, “Thank you for coming to see me, Chiquita,” at the end of the movie, he’s not just addressing his granddaughter — he’s addressing the Divine Feminine.
Chiquita dives deep into:
It’s both philosophical and emotional, abstract and intimate, Eastern and Western — a true cinematic crossover.
Religion, as understood in the Western context, is a constructed system, though undeniably a practical reality. In contrast, Eastern philosophies tend to focus more on self-realization, encouraging individuals to find their own path, rather than adhering to a single book or method.
In this sense, Chiquita is spiritually provocative—it delves into the Shakta tradition, an ancient wisdom of India rooted in Sanathana Dharma. The film is not meant to evangelize or promote any single tradition, but rather to inspire viewers to cultivate a personal connection with the sacred. It’s the kind of film where you’re not meant to compare, but to coexist.
If you’ve ever asked, “Who am I beyond my labels?”—this film will speak to you. To be honest, Chiquita works for any film lover with an open-mind.
Chiquita is for:
Chiquita is rare in how it blends west and east. Not many projects have attempted something similar to this. But, in terms of tone, theme, or structure, Chiquita resonates with:
| Film | Similarities |
| Eat Pray Love | Julia Roberts’s journey of spiritual seeking across cultures. |
| The Tree of Life (Terrence Malick) | Nonlinear, spiritual, grief as awakening |
| Into the Wild | Journey into nature as soul journey |
| Baraka / Samsara | Eastern philosophies, meditative visuals |
| Peaceful Warrior | Western man discovers Eastern truths |
| Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring | Cyclical life philosophy, nature, spiritual mentorship |
| Holy Hell (Doc) | Western obsession with Eastern gurus |
| The Razor’s Edge | A man seeking truth beyond societal success |
Trivikram Gajulapalli is the director, writer, and one of the producers of Chiquita. He is a self-made entrepreneur, founded Veenaa Vedika, a production house whose current focus is on creating cross‑cultural English films rooted in Indian philosophy. With works spanning feature films, short films, theatre, and digital media, Trivikram’s signature lies in weaving traditional Indian spiritual values into stories that resonate globally — Chiquita being a powerful example.
Absolutely. Chiquita draws inspiration from the Shakta tradition of Indian philosophy, where Shakti (the Divine Feminine) is the cosmic source of creation and energy. You’ll find echoes of teachings from revered figures. But the film is not about them — it’s about a man finding his own way through those teachings.
Chiquita encourages open-mindedness and mutual respect. The film emphasizes that the path to spirituality is a personal journey, and how you choose to navigate it is entirely up to you. Some may find an icon helpful as a medium, others may prefer a book with a set of rules, and some may be drawn to the abstract.
In a world increasingly polarized by religious dogma, Chiquita invites us to listen, not preach; to experience, not argue; to coexist, not compete.
Absolutely not. While we understand where this question is coming from, Chiquita is committed to steering clear of negative attention. The film includes a clear disclaimer, an explicit mention in a key dialogue by the character himself, and resolves the conflict by the end. None of the film’s promotions exploit this particular scene, nor does it attempt to impose Charles’ beliefs on any other character, let alone the audience. Unlike many films, Chiquita takes a more thoughtful and balanced approach, deliberately avoiding unnecessary controversy.
Given Charles’ background, Chiquita is a sensitive, nuanced exploration of interfaith dynamics within families—particularly in multicultural societies like the United States. The scene in question, where a religious conversation becomes tense, mirrors real-life generational and ideological differences that many viewers—both from Eastern and Western backgrounds—can relate to. It also highlights the vulnerabilities of Charles’ character, despite his deep understanding of human nature. The beauty of this moment is that Charles recognizes it as a mistake and takes steps to rectify it, creating a clear character arc and driving the necessary conflict in the story.
No, not at all. While yoga and meditation are subtly woven into the fabric of the film, they are portrayed in a powerful, non-didactic way.Rather than showing yoga as physical postures or meditation as a practice, Chiquita explores them as states of being — especially in how Charles slows down, breathes, contemplates, and ultimately lets go.
It’s not performative. It’s integrative.
Not at all. This is not a story about loss; rather, it’s a story about transformation. The music by Rohit Gopalakrishnan and the screenplay by Trivikram Gajulapalli elevate what could have been a simple drama into something much more compelling. Chiquita is about transmutation— transforming confusion into wisdom, aloneness into wholeness, and doubt into devotion.
Because we live in a world wounded by imbalanced masculinity — where strength is mistaken for stoicism, and vulnerability is shamed.
Chiquita flips that.
Charles’s awakening is not through conquest or control — it’s through surrender, softness, creativity, and forgiveness— all hallmarks of Shakti energy.
The Divine Feminine isn’t just a theological idea here. She is a presence — in Freyja, Olivia, and even in the quiet of Charles’s own heart.
Unlike overtly religious or didactic films, Chiquita takes a nuanced, character-driven approach to spiritual awakening. Rather than preaching, it quietly questions everything — from blind evangelism to idol worship, from masculinity to divine femininity, from trauma to transcendence.
There’s a rich history of Western celebrities who have embraced Hindu traditions or been inspired by them. Some are fully into it, some adopt practices or beliefs, but they demonstrate that the spiritual identity shown in Chiquita has real-world parallels. Examples include:
A brief, though not exhaustive, timeline below provides insight into how Hinduism became part of Western thought and spiritual exploration.
1890s – Early 1900s: Swami Vivekananda & Vedanta Societies
Swami Vivekananda’s historic speech at the 1893 Parliament of the World’s Religions in Chicago introduced Vedanta and Hindu philosophy to a wide American audience. Founded Vedanta Society in New York (1894) and Northern California, creating a formal institutional presence of Hindu thought in the West.
1920s – 1950s: Paramahansa Yogananda
Arrived in the US in 1920, founded the Self-Realization Fellowship.
Popularized Kriya Yoga and authored Autobiography of a Yogi, inspiring Western seekers looking for spirituality compatible with modern life.
1950s – 1970s: ISKCON (Hare Krishna Movement) & Hippie/Counterculture Movement
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada founded ISKCON in the mid-1960s, attracting many Western followers and establishing temples and communes across the US and UK. The hippie and counterculture era embraced Eastern spirituality, meditation, and yoga, influenced by iconic figures such as George Harrison of The Beatles.
1971: Ram Dass — Be Here Now Published
Richard Alpert, renamed Ram Dass, a disciple of Neem Karoli Baba, published Be Here Now, a landmark book that introduced yoga, mantra, and meditation from Hindu tradition to the Western counterculture.
Dope, what sneaky details in Chiquita might fly under my radar if I’m not locked in?
[Spoiler Alert] When Olivia asks:
“Grandpa, how do you reach something that looks like it’s right there, but it’s actually not?”
She isn’t just talking about the light. She’s talking about the truth. How our ego or ignorance or Maya bars us from seeing the truth that’s simple and clear right in front of our eyes. Charles’s final answer — “By surrendering to Her will unconditionally” — becomes the emotional and spiritual climax of the film.
This theme is further emphasized in the subsequent shot, where Olivia reaches out to grasp the light from the LED, only to realize that when she lets go and surrenders to its flow, the light naturally reaches her. This powerful visual is a brilliant metaphor, symbolizing the idea that in our search for answers, we often place barriers in our own way.
Okay if I’ve more time what can I learn?
(About Director Trivikram Gajulapalli and Cross cultural films)
Q: What is Trivikram Gajulapalli’s background and what has he done before Chiquita?
Q: What drives his creative vision and what themes does he frequently explore?
Q: How does his past work prepare him for Chiquita?
Q: What makes Trivikram Gajulapalli’s approach unique or worth watching, especially in Chiquita?
Q: What can we expect from Trivikram Gajulapalli’s future work and his impact in film?
