The Manager


ELSAYED

In the story, Kunal’s uncle told him many things he couldn’t do — he said he couldn’t go to school, couldn’t make friends, and couldn’t dream big. If I were in his place, I think I would’ve tried to stay strong like he did, even if it meant dreaming in silence. It’s not easy when someone limits you, but sometimes that pain becomes your power. I’ve also been in situations where people told me I couldn’t do something I really wanted—but I learned to listen to myself, not them. That’s how you start to grow.

“It’s fine.”

When Kabir said, “It’s fine,” I think he wasn’t really fine at all. He said it because sometimes it’s easier to hide how you really feel than to explain your pain. Maybe he felt pressure to be strong or live up to other people’s expectations. I’ve said “I’m fine” many times too, even when I wasn’t. People use it because they don’t want to look weak or make others worry—but deep down, it usually means, “I’m trying to be okay.”

“I’m my own man now.”

Kunal said, “I’m my own man now,” I felt that deeply. To me, it means he finally found himself—he’s not letting anyone control or limit him anymore. It’s about freedom and being proud of who you’ve become after everything you’ve been through. I think I’m my own person too, especially after moving to a new country and starting from zero. It’s not easy, but it feels strong—you learn to trust yourself and create your own path, step by step.

Separation in your life – from parents, children, etc.

I know how hard separation can be. When I left my family to start a new life, it was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. The silence and distance can really hurt, especially when you need their support and they’re far away. At first, I felt lost, but with time I learned how to stand on my own feet and build strength from it. The pain doesn’t fully go away, but you grow, and you start to see how strong you really are.


EREK

“I’m my own man now.”

For me it means that you can only count on yourself and nobody else can help you. You have to be fully responsible for yourself.   You are the only man who can help you.

Separation in your life – from parents, children, etc.

To be honest sometimes in my teen’s life I could leave home for a couple of days easily. But back then life was very safe for all people. You could leave something on the street and nobody would touch it or steal it. You could leave your house open and nobody would come without your permission. Or if they would come, they would never take something without asking you. Because we did not have any phones, you couldn’t tell your parents where you were. So sometimes I only knew that I should go home when police were looking for me 😂

Also I left my home very early – around 18 or 19 years old.


DMITRII

“It’s fine.”

Kunal mother’s asks him, “How is your life?” He answers, “It’s fine.” When a child grows up practically alone from the age of 11, it changes him a lot. On the one hand, he is not a boy, but a man. On the other hand, for his mother he will always be a little boy.

When we’re feeling down, but our parents ask, “Are you okay?” even if things are bad, we don’t want to upset our parents.  So we say, “Everything’s okay.” I did this often.  I love my parents, they don’t have an easy life and I don’t want to upset them. I always want to see a smile on their faces. A little lie for a greater good!

“I’m my own man now.”

I think Kunal was not ready to be left alone. If I remember correctly, Kunal’s parents left when he was 11 years old, which is the age when important personality formation takes place. When you’re 11 years old, you know almost nothing about the adult world, but you can rely on the experience or advice from your parents. Kunal could only rely on himself.

His uncle was an absolute idiot. I consider Kunal a strong person because he has been running his parents’ business since he was 11 years old. Many kids would break down and give up everything; he is a child after all.

In Russia, they often say that difficulties help build character. Kunal managed and made himself overcome difficulties. He became an adult when he should have been a child. He made it! Yes it was very difficult, but he made it!

ZHENG

“It’s fine.”

I smile when Mom asks if I’m tired, saying, “I’m fine.” Dad worries about my work, but I just nod and repeat, “I’m fine.” My kid tugs my sleeve for a story, though I’m worn out, I still say, “I’m fine, let’s read.”

No one sees the sigh I hold back. Tiredness hides behind my eyes. But for them, I’ll keep this “fine” — a soft shield, hiding all my helplessness.

“I’m my own man now.”

Being your own man means not just following others. It lets you chase dreams that truly light you up, not what others think you should want. You make choices bravely, learn from mistakes, and grow into someone real. It builds self-respect—you stand tall, not bent to fit. Life gets meaningful, for you live it your way. That’s why it’s so important: it’s the key to a life that’s truly yours.

WU XUE

“It’s fine.”

I think there are thousands and millions words he wants to say. At this moment, only one word can express his feelings. They are “I am fine now.” It’s hard to say that I’ve gone through all experience during these years, but finally you and I are here and everyone is well.

I think his goal was to be a neurosurgeon before. Things changed after his parents left for India.

I am fine means I am good or I am okay. Sometimes we can use it for our feelings, which is complicated and hard to say it or I don’t want to talk about it.

“I’m my own man now.”

It means you are able to be responsible for yourself or you are an adult now. You can take charge of yourself or make the decisions by yourself. Yes, I am my own person now because I take care of my family and I am able to give support to my family.


MARCELA

When we read the story of Kunal Sah, we learned that after his parents left for India, his uncle became abusive and beat him, and told him all the things he COULD NOT DO in his life. What were some of those things? What would YOU have done if you were in that situation? Has anyone ever forbid you to do things you really wanted to do? What happened?

Some of the things his uncle said were “You can’t do it”, “You can’t be a Doctor”!

If I were in the same situation as Kunal, I would do the same as him – work in the business trying to be the best as I can, but I would not believe in my uncle and his nonsense words. On the contrary, I would be more resilient and focus in my goals.

When I was a child, my parents used to forbid me from doing many things, but in my head the words “prohibited” or “forbidden “didn’t really mean much to me because I never followed my parents’ rules.

However, my parents learned the best way to educate me was to encourage me and support the things I liked to do. I think their approach was another way they could control me rather than pushing me away.

“I’m my own man now.”

“I am my own person” means, being an independent person who has all the control over the own life. It means your life depends on yourself and your decisions are under your control.

Actually, I consider myself as my own person with my own thoughts and identity with a great sense of responsibility, but also I am supported by my family and friends.


SIDI

“It’s fine.”

Kabir said “It’s fine” because he probably wanted to reassure his mother and not worry her with his true feelings. He may not have been completely honest, as his life was full of challenges, and his goals, like becoming a neurosurgeon, might not fully reflect what he truly feels inside.

When I say “I’m fine,” I usually use it to avoid talking about my real emotions, and I think people say it often because it’s an easy answer that hides complicated feelings.

“I’m my own man now.”

When Kunal said, “I’m my own man now,” he meant he became independent, making his own decisions after years of difficulties. Being “your own man” is very important because it means you control your life and overcome challenges by yourself.

I consider myself somewhat independent because I try to make my own decisions, but sometimes I need my family’s support because of daily pressures.

TANYA

“It’s fine.”

The word “I’m fine” is supposed to mean that everything is really good, that there are no worries, sadness or anger, that the person feels satisfied at this moment, but unfortunately, this is not always true. Quite often it is used as a way to hide emotions, because it’s a lot easier than to sincerely talk about your feelings and face the reaction to it. It’s also a way to avoid your own emotions by saying that everything is fine.

Kabir said It’s fine, not because he really felt that way, but because he saw how relaxed his parents were,smiles on their faces because of the meeting after a long time apart. He didn’t want to ruin the moment, make them worry about him. As for his goal, I think it changed over time, because of all these events in his life.

JUAN

Were you surprised by anything you read in the article? 

Yes, in the article Kunal said his family had not one, but several hotels, when his parents were deported. That made me rethink the skills and capacity of Kunal as a human being and a teenager in that moment, to tolerate the amount of stress caused by managing a business besides being alone without his parents near him and with an abusive uncle.

With all that against him, he was capable enough to be a remarkable student and a champion spelling bee student a powerful mind.

Has anyone ever forbidden you to do things you really wanted to do?  What happened?

Not literally, but I think in my hometown, the people in general have a mentality with low expectations or they are more pessimistic than optimistic with their future. 

I remember when I was younger, talking with my friends about our future and life goals. Most of them have the clear idea of “studying to be someone” but immediately it was followed with  “I can’t, I don’t have enough money to pay a private university and I’m not clever enough to get a spot in a public university”, so they even didn’t try it.

Besides that, the economic and political situation of the country, the reality we watched on the news didn’t help at all in transforming that point of view to a better one.

ERICK C.

At the end of the video, Kabir’s mother asks him, “How is your life?”  He answers, “It’s fine.”  Why did he say that?  Was he honest with his feelings?  Was he really fine?  Were his goals of college and becoming a neurosurgeon not really his goals?  What does ‘I’m fine’ really mean when YOU use it? Why do people use it so often.  What does it mean?

I think he said that so as not to distress his mother since he had time without seeing her and did not want to have an uncomfortable moment. In my opinion, he was not honest with his feelings since he was practically alone for many years. He was not really well since he had an adult responsibility being a child like that depriving him of his childhood and adolescence. His goal of going to college to be a neurosurgeon was probably not quite what he really wanted to be.

For my part I sometimes use the words “I’M FINE” to avoid certain topics. I think people use it for the same reasons to hide their feelings or thoughts  and to avoid that topic.

“I’m my own man now.”

I think he meant based on his situations that he has grown up and has faced his situations by himself taking responsibility for his own life. It is important to be oneself because he shows independence and self-confidence.

 I think I am myself since I make my own decisions based on my thoughts and I do not depend on other people.

ANATOLII

“It’s fine.”

Sometimes a person feels sad, hurt, or lonely. But when someone asks: How are you? They can answer, I’m fine.

It’s easier than explaining what really hurts. People are afraid that others won’t understand them or will start to feel sorry for them. And sometimes, they just don’t want to talk about their problems. When we say “I’m fine,” it’s like building a big safety wall between ourselves and the world. These short words hide deep feelings.

People say “I’m fine” because they want to look strong, even when inside they don’t feel fine at all.

This is my problem. I don’t love to tell about my life. 

ALENA

“It’s fine.”

He said this because: he didn’t want to upset his parents; he understood that they had suffered too; he was used to keeping everything inside.   He wasn’t honest with his feelings, because it was too hard for him to put everything into words. It seems that, at that moment, he felt tiredness, loneliness, sadness, and emptiness.

Was he really “fine”?

No. He survived, he managed to cope – but that’s not “fine.”  He did everything he was “supposed to,” but it didn’t make him happy. 
This phrase has two meanings: If you say sincere, it means “Everything is truly okay.” If you say hiding pain: “I don’t want to talk about it.”

I think that people use “It’s fine”: when they don’t want to discuss their problems; or maybe they don’t want to seem weak; to comfort someone else; or when they don’t know how to explain their feelings.
It’s like a mask. The phrase sounds calm, but behind it often hiding a pain.

“I’m my own man now.”

In my opinion it means that it’s time to build his own dream life, not fulfill someone else’s dreams.  Live the life you truly want. 

IURII

Here is a link to an update on the life of Kunal from 2020.   You will learn a lot more about him and his family. Summarize the new information you learned about Kunal and his family that was NOT in the story we read together.  Were you surprised by anything you read in the article?  Why or why not?  This story was published in a hotel magazine.

I didn’t find a lot of differences between the movie and the written story. The movie didn’t show that Kunal’s uncle beat him,  but it’s noticeable that the hotel business of Kunal’s parents didn’t matter for his uncle.I don’t remember from the movie how Kumal organized accounting and faced other problems related to his business, I only saw how Kunal cleaned the hotel rooms.The movie and the article didn’t uncover all the aspects in my point of view.

When we read the story of Kunal Sah, we learned that after his parents left for India, his uncle became abusive and beat him, and told him all the things he COULD NOT DO in his life.  What were some of those things?  What would YOU have done if you were in that situation?  Has anyone ever forbidden you to do things you really wanted to do?  What happened?

I don’t think that his uncle was too abusive, but he behaved really strangely, especially his prediction that “you’ll never become a neurosurgeon.”  Probably, he has some mental problems due to being unsuccessful in his life, personal or career. 

If I were him, I would notify my parents about my uncle’s treatment with me. Probably it would be better to find someone else instead of this uncle to help with the business.