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Through the eyes of children
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Here are movies that have been made specifically keeping the children in mind as the target audience
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PHOTOS: S. SIVA SARAVANAN
Movie with a message Students enjoy the screening of Dubashi
Twelve-year-old Gopal is the hero of the film Dubashi. His wit, intelligence and self-confidence bowled over every member of the audience. “He is multi-talented,” beam a group of class VI students of Seventh Day Adventi
sts Matriculation Higher Secondary School, Kattur, who had gathered at Shanthi Theatre to watch the movie. Screened as part of the Children’s film festival, organised jointly by the Children’s film Society of India and the district administration, the film is all about empowering children. The 96-minute Dubashi produced by the Children’s Film Society of India and directed by K. Hariharan showcases multi-language skills as a tool of empowerment. The story revolves around Rama Rao’s family. A clerk-cum-translator, he is a descendant of a Marathi family settled in Thanjavur. His older son Raghu, is an introvert who is inclined towards sculpture while the younger Gopal is an extrovert, confident and has a flair for languages.
The story
Gopal longs for a bicycle and while in the process of rebuilding one from spare parts, he unwittingly crosses the path of a gang of thugs and seeks refuge from them in a temple where he befriends two Japanese tourists and their Indian friend the Thanjavur Maharaja (played by Nasser). Gopal forces his brother to act as a guide to the tourists, which would enable him to buy his cycle. This helps Raghu come out of his shell and returns with the Japanese couple, speaking Japanese! In the meantime, the enterprising Gopal joins his father to translate the telecast of Ramayana into Tamil. Rama Rao falls ill and tells Gopal that he has lost his job. However, the story ends on a positive note as his father finds a job as a translator in the palace and Gopal gets his bicycle. “It is the undying spirit of the boy that helps the family cope with the crisis,” says George Williams, principal. The class X students felt that the bonding between the brothers touched a chord in them. “He motivates his brother, co-operates with his father and acts as a source of inspiration,” said the girls.
Excellent cinematography, subtle re-recording and good performances highlight the film.
“The exercise is to take value based entertainment to children and expose them to quality films,” says K.P. Ramakrishnan, distribution officer and Southern regional officer of Children’s Film Society of India. “A total of 72 shows in the district will take such meaningful cinema about children to children,” he says. The festival is on in Coimbatore district till October 17. The films will be screened in various theatres in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Pollachi at 9 a.m. Entry is free for schools. For further details, school authorities can get in touch with office of the Chief Education Officer in Raja Street or call CFSI at 9544 -24981159/ 24987359.
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For the children
Santosh Sivan’s Malli follows the dreams of the ten-year-old Malli. She dreams of owning a new dress for the festival and getting the ’blue-bead’ which can cure her friend.
Vetripadai by Sunil Advani is about Chitra, an earnest student. She despairs of never securing the first rank in her class, however hard she tries. The holy ‘Baboot’ (ashes) given by a guruji gives her the confidence to realise her dream. But the holy ash is nothing but residues from the local ironing man.
Thannimbikkai, directed by Virendra Saini, tells the story of Sonu, a nine-year-old girl who lives in the hills. Despite being physically challenged, she has a secret desire to cross the mountains. With help from her friends she scales the top of the mountain.
Halo by Santosh Sivan, is the about the quest of a seven-year-old girl Sasha for her lost puppy called ‘Halo’ through the terrifying streets of Bombay
Balya Medhai, directed by Virendra Saini, looks at the life of Robin, an eight-year-old boy, who has an extraordinary talent with mathematics and numbers.
K. JESHI
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Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Mangalore
Puducherry
Tiruchirapalli
Thiruvananthapuram
Vijayawada
Visakhapatnam
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