Prajj’s intimate, beautiful short film Butter Chicken to Go captures the stresses, and dreams, of modern immigrants in Canada. This well-directed portrait has a lot of heart, showing people doing what they can to build a new life for themselves.

It’s winter in Toronto. During the evening dinner rush, South Asian delivery drivers navigate the city streets, reflecting on the unique journeys that brought each of them here—stories that reveal a universal quest for belonging.

When you get your food delivered, do you ever think about the person delivering it beyond whether they are bringing you the right meal, hot? In Prajj’s short film Butter Chicken to Go, we delve into the thoughts of food delivery workers, those who work 14-hour days on bikes to earn enough to survive and support those back home. It’s an incredibly touching short film that should leave people pausing a little longer when their driver, or anyone serving them throughout their day, interacts with them.

What remains throughout Butter Chicken to Go is hope. That the struggles of 14-hour days in the dead of winter in Toronto won’t last forever; the pain of missing meals and spending time with family won’t define their life. They believe the struggles now will let them pay for university and get a foot on the ladder, so maybe, when they are not struggling for money, their family can visit them. See them shining in the life theyhave built in Toronto.

As one of the men poignantly says, “We come into this planet on a temporary permit. Nobody has a permanent residency.” These men take nothing for granted, only the belief that what they are doing is right. In many ways, as much as Butter Chicken to Go is inspirational and thoughtful, it is also incredibly sad. These men, and thousands like them in Canada and elsewhere, are humans doing what they can to get by. Like everyone, just cogs on a wheel, really. So the point is to do the things that make your time on that wheel the most beneficial to you.

If there is a downside to Butter Chicken to Go, it is that it comes across more as a meditative piece than something that truly delves deeper into our workers’ thoughts. As if there is more to say, but it holds itself back. We see glimpses of the arduous work they do, with shots of them driving through the snow, waiting for someone to collect their food, etc., as they monologue lightly about their life in Toronto. If we had a few more minutes, we could have gotten that.

However, that’s really just a nitpick, as what Prajj gives us is something incredibly thoughtful; coupled with some sharp editing choices, you are pulled into the story of these men. Maybe that’s the “issue”. We are pulled into their lives and their thoughts, and we want more. We want to hear more about their struggles, their hopes, and their dreams. Butter Chicken to Go is a film that you won’t regret spending 12 minutes on.

★★★★

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