Ruchira takes a hard look at the children’s films made in our country and finds that a lot needs to be done. An exclusive for Different Truths.
Indian cinema industry enjoys a unique covetable position in the global arena. In fact, it has carved a niche for itself thanks to the efforts of its Titanic directors, who have churned out numberless masterpieces, which in turn bagged several prestigious international awards. Yet another category of films garnered immense popularity owing to an overdose of slapstick comedy. In addition, let us not overlook the genre of desi musicals that won recognition by way of their immortal lyrics and haunting melodies.
… the discerning viewers and tinsel connoisseurs will not fail to notice that films dedicated to children – the future of the nation – are horribly lagging.
However, the discerning viewers and tinsel connoisseurs will not fail to notice that films dedicated to children – the future of the nation – is horribly lagging. Blame it on the social or family setup. Parents commonly take their children to the theatres to watch a flick en famille except when the subject happens to be strictly adult stuff. On the other hand, very few parents /guardians would proactively take the child/ward to the cinema, unless of course there are enough kids around to set up a ruckus, thus compelling the grown-ups to bow to their wishes.
Teenagers and those in their late teens are a tad luckier since they venture out to the cinema with their peers. From the perspective of filmmakers/ producers/directors, the target audience is thus extremely limited. Consequently, they make up their mind that children’s films are not commercially viable. Since these will not become box office hits and rake in huge amounts of moolah, it is pointless to invest heavily in them.
It would be worthwhile to quote veteran filmmaker Sai Paranjape, who had said during an interview, “Children’s films are very demanding…”
It would be worthwhile to quote veteran filmmaker Sai Paranjape, who had said during an interview, “Children’s films are very demanding – they need trick scenes, fun, animation, music, popular actors and all that.” It is as clear as daylight that incorporating such features would require a strong budget. Unless this happens, the scenario of children’s films will remain bleak.
Nevertheless, there appears to be a silver lining in the dark cloud. At least in recent years. To give the devil his due, we have been able to showcase a few wholesome movies, informative, refreshing, and entraining as well.
Iqbal directed by Nagesh Kukunoor — depicts how an otherwise abled boy, who is mute, achieves his dream of becoming a professional cricketer.
Iqbal directed by Nagesh Kukunoor — depicts how an otherwise abled boy, who is mute, achieves his dream of becoming a professional cricketer. I Am Kalam directed by Nilmadhav Panda portrays how a poor tea stall boy dreams of and aspires to become a great scientist like former Indian President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam, whom he considers his role model/icon. The Amir Khan starrer, Taare Zameen Par, delves into the psyche and life condition of a dyslexic boy. Another movie that deserves special mention is Nagesh Kukunoor’s Rockford, a coming-of-age film revolving around boys and girls enrolled in adjoining residential schools. The entire gamut of adolescent emotions is powerfully portrayed.
Talking of children’s flicks, two films in this category, made in the early 2000s, namely Jajantram Mamantram (by Soumitra Ranade) and Makdee, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, were horrendous, to say the least. The former loosely based on Defoe’s Gulliver’s travels turned out to be a mishmash of sorcery, fights, demons, and other weird creatures, which abound in Bollywood thrillers. In its turn, Makdee was too incoherent to be grasped by viewers in general. Actor Shabana Azmi does precious little beyond letting out her eerie laughter interspersed with ghoulish shrieks.
Ravi Chopra’s Bhootnath grabbed viewers’ attention for major part of it – replete with emotional bondage and affection between generations of males in the same family. Sadly, the remainder appears heavily laden with adult oriented stuff. The young ones are sure to be bored stiff.
Incidentally, regional language film directors are mulling over making children’s films.
Incidentally, regional language film directors are mulling over making children’s films. Some promising animation films have regaled the little ones. Yet much more remains to be done. Feature films are the need of the day.
In this aspect, Bengali filmmakers and directors are way ahead. They have successfully churned out a bevy of children-oriented films based on adventure/detective short stories and novels of noted Bengali writers. e.g., Bibhuti Bhushan Bandopadhyay, Sunil Gangopadhyay, Satyajit Ray among many. These include handler Pahar, Mishawr Rahasya, Amazon Abhijan, Yeti Abhijan, Goenda Gogol, Royal Bengal Rahasyaand so forth. These did well in the box office and proved to be crowd pullers.
Visuals by Different Truths and the internet.
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