This industry is no child’s play

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A still from Gattu

The last two years have seen a handful of children’s films not just get a mainstream release but also manage to strike a chord with the masses. For a brief period, titles such as Stanley Ka Dabba, Chillar Party and I Am Kalam had become household names.

But it was not long before the genre crept back into its shell and all of quiet for a while. The silence was broken again by Gattu that released in festival circuits last year and in theatres a few weeks ago. And even as the film continues to garner rave reviews, the just released Krishna and Kans offers yet another option for children. But despite the fact that the genre seems to be doing better than it ever did in the past, filmmakers continue to feel that there is a lot of room for improvement.
“I think the government should make an effort to make these films accessible to children at cheaper prices or even for free. It’s sad to see that in a country where youth and children form the largest part of the population, people are not ready to invest in cinema for children,” says I Am Kalam director Nila Madhab Panda. Speaking of Information and Broadcasting Minister L.K. Advani’s assurance of revitalising the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI), Nila adds, “It’s wonderful that Mr Advani has made such a statement, but everyone need to put in an effort.”
While a lot of work still needs to be done, filmmakers feel that times are changing slowly but surely and the importance of children’s films is finally being felt. Gattu Director Rajan Khosa says, “The idea that I have in mind is that the Ministry of Education should encourage a mandatory viewing of these films, making them a part of the school curriculum.”