While a thousand films are made annually in India, barely 30 are children’s flicks and only a handful of them get a decent release. And no, we’re not ‘kidding’
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; November 14, 2017)

Celebrated poet and writer Gulzar, while addressing a festival called Jashn-e-Bachpan had said, “It’s not that writers don’t love kids. To identify with children, you have to put yourself in their place and get involved with them. This doesn’t happen as often as it does with adults. And it is because of this lack of identification that so few films are being made or fewer pieces of lyrics written for kids.” Evidently, his words ring true. And as you read this, the 20th Children’s Film Festival of India — that started in Telangana on November 8, concludes today and not many are even aware of it.

Gulzar leads the pack of torchbearers of children’s content across literature and films in India. While mainstream Bollywood has a countable number of movies that cater to children, Hollywood studios have continued to flood the Indian market with their animated and feature content aimed for the knee-high audiences, year on year. Odds are possibly stacked against desi filmmakers, which coaxes them to think more mainstream and adult entertainment.

For example: In the 1960s, Satyajit Ray toyed with the idea of making Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne. The fantasy adventure took several years in the making and on release, it worked commercially and also won the Best Picture Award at the National Film Awards in 1970. It took over three decades for Shwaas, another child-focussed film, albeit in Marathi, to win this coveted award. Moreover, it was also India’s official entry for the Oscars. Incidentally, the first film to ever win the National Award was Shyamchi Aai (1953), which revolved around a poor child and his mother. While it’s often debated whether a film made for kids only centres around them or appeals only to them, what is indisputable is that children’s cinema in India is not only underfunded, but is also under-evolved and under-consumed.

Institutions like the Children’s Film Society of India (CFSI) have been struggling to create and present content catering to children despite subsidies from the government to champion the cause. Rajan Khosa’s Gattu was among the last films that came out of CFSI. Shilpa Ranade’s Goopy Gawaiya Bagha Bajaiya, an animated take on Satyajit Ray’s Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, made rounds of the international festivals, but failed to get a theatrical release in the domestic market. Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak, which won the National Award for Best Children’s Film and Grand Prix for Best Feature and Special Mention of Children’s Jury at the Berlin International Film Festival 2015, met with a similar fate; the only difference is that it didn’t get a wide enough release.

Not surprising then, that Indian filmmakers claim that lack of funds, poor distribution and exhibition machinery, and the general apathy of parents towards children’s content are together responsible for the despicable condition of the genre that continues to remain out of bounds for them. Hollywood, of course, continues to milk it, quantitatively and qualitatively, with its far superior content. About a dozen movies are released in India annually: The Jungle Book, Finding Dory, Boss Baby, the superhero franchises and many more.

The home-grown market for children’s films is at an alarming low. According to certain trade researchers, it contributes not more than 0.2 per cent of the total box office collections every year. Amole Gupte, director of Stanley Ka Dabba and Hawaa Hawaai, says, “Most people don’t know when Sniff!!! released.”

Amole Gupte adds, “Sniff!!! was treated like a lawaris bachcha; a child buried before it could even breathe. The studio I partnered with had no faith in the film, although it backed some good adult films like Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and Newton. They didn’t bother marketing Sniff!!! or even letting it run in cinemas for more than a week, although we had floods in Mumbai that week and a curfew in the North, which means the footfall was low at cinemas anyway. When I showed it to children at pre-booked shows, they applauded it. I’m aware a lot of critics didn’t like it, but Sniff!!! was designed for kids and they liked it. Sometimes, adults have to keep their adult perspective aside. As a filmmaking industry, I have realised that we don’t respect children. We’ve failed them. You ‘kid’ them into watching what you, as adults, want to consume. As an adult, you get the scale of visuals you paid for and the child gets to see some fantasy. The fact that we use phrases like, ‘Don’t kid me or kid it down, yaar’ in our daily lingo shows how dumb we think kids really are when that’s not the case. If mainstream comedies are what we expose our kids to, how do we even expect them to engage in something that’s remotely meant only for them? They won’t know how to appreciate that. The only other bracket of films they can possibly enjoy is the fare that comes from Hollywood; though not every animated film or a film with kids is for them.”

Here’s a typical chicken-and-egg situation where the filmmaker blames the market forces and they push the blame back on the filmmaker. Amidst this tussle, children have found avenues to entertain themselves: TV shows, cartoon channels with dubbed versions of decade-old Chinese, Japanese and European shows and the web-streaming spaces apart from various films that are made in Hollywood.

Back on the home turf, apart from Sniff!!!, Ruchi Narain’s Hanuman Da Damdaar was the only other film that catered to little ones this year. When asked about the odds piled before a filmmaker backing children’s content, Ruchi points out that animation of international quality is expensive and the budgets in India for animation films are not even a small percentage of the Hollywood counterparts.

She elaborates, “Hollywood films can afford high budgets because they have a worldwide box office. Take The Jungle Book for instance. A Hindi animation film can’t be made at even five percent of that cost. While trying to get Hanuman Da Damdaar out, I realised that we were literally like trying to carve a market. It’s not a ready space waiting to consume children’s content. A lot of the mainstream films in India are made in a way that children can also accompany their parents to cinemas. As filmmakers, you are competing with the biggest Hindi blockbusters apart from Hollywood films for your kids’ viewing. Actually, there is no competition from Hollywood because they are the only ones who generate some differentiated content for kids. We make one-off films. Studios don’t largely encourage our films. Bodies like the CFSI are also given such tiny budgets that the outcome doesn’t match the content the kids are already consuming. At cinemas, children’s films are given morning shows, which are not only sold at lower ticket rates but are also difficult to fill because kids don’t come unaccompanied to a cinema hall. And on weekdays, most parents are away at work. So, monetarily, a kids’ film doesn’t make much money. In my case, the cinemas revised our shows to the evening slots, which was a relief.”

Even as filmmakers, few possess the ability to reach out to children as equals, without sermonising or giving them life lessons. A memorable children’s film, like Chillar Party has the ability to transcend age barriers and reach out to adults and children alike. Few would know that the film nearly didn’t take off for the lack of a director. Most filmmakers who were offered to direct, rejected the project citing the lack of a star face or a ‘compelling’ story. Eventually, Nitesh Tiwari and Vikas Bahl, who wrote the movie, decided to direct it together. “It’s an unfortunate scenario. Producers’ interest in backing any film is backed by box-office returns and we have many examples of monetarily successful kids’ films. That is the reason we see fewer kids’ films although there is a huge potential,” concedes Nitesh, adding, “I will credit Vikas for getting Chillar Party off the ground. We need more people with that conviction to push a film with 10 children and a stray dog. Unfortunate situation is that budgets are not decided by the script alone, it’s also about the star. With that in mind, what budget do you think a kids’ film will get? A kids’ film can have a star like Hrithik Roshan doing Koi Mil Gaya and Krrish which were happily consumed by them. As a parent, I don’t show every Hollywood animation film to my seven-year-olds and I am sure many feel that heat, too. We tap holiday weekends two years in advance but leave the summer vacations without releasing anything for kids.”

Writer Salim Khan, who wrote Mr India, one of most well-recalled children’s films ever, with his then-partner Javed Akhtar, agrees with Nitesh’s point of view. He firmly believes that a film with kids alone will find it difficult to secure any financial backing. “We have to acknowledge that a film sells on a star. Children’s films often lack stars and that’s why often they don’t even take off. A kiddie film with a star has more chances of working at the box office. Look at Haathi Mere Saathi, or for that matter, even Bajrangi Bhaijaan. The films had stories for children and were about children; but they had the backing of a star which got them a huge push. If people want to make films for kids, get a star to back it because remember, a child doesn’t watch a film alone. That is the intention we had when we wrote Mr India. Its sequel too should apply the same formula,” he says.

While filmmakers are still not rushing to make a film for kids, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has digressed from his usual lavish story-telling ways to make a simple drama, Mere Pyaar Prime Minister with kids from a slum in Mumbai. He believes, “You can’t direct children. They will direct you. They teach you so much about your craft. I had a wonderful time making my film with these little boys. It’s a story that has something for the child and for the parent. I’ve attempted to blend their interests in.”

Even though the current scenario of kids’ films seems bleak, future holds some hope. Vishal Bhardwaj, known to back children’s content, is constantly working on stories that can please a tot. Ruchi is also planning her next animation film for kids. And Amole, despite his last experience with Sniff, is raring to make an even better children’s film that before. He sums it up saying, “The only thing left out of a child’s plate is his or her share of entertainment. Even cartoons like Oggy And the Cockroaches are Bollywood comic caricatures of stars which don't satisfy kids. It’s such a shame! We don’t know how to respect our children. What you sow is what you will get. How can you expect kids’ cinema to work wonders here when it lacks basic encouragement from the parents in the audience? You want a desi Harry Potter without investing in it. I have been fighting a losing battle. In an insecure industry, children’s cinema comes below regional cinema in the pecking order. I am not Alice in Wonderland. I know making my next kids’ film will not be easy but my conviction in that cinema is full, not token. I don’t ‘kid’ the audience.”

Subhash K Jha (DNA; June 20, 2016)


Apparently, Nagesh was keen to have SRK make a guest appearance at the end of the film. But he was denied access to the star. Now that Dhanak is released, the team is keen to show the star the film, but he refuses to respond to their calls and messages.

Says a source, “The team is at its wit’s end. They tried getting in touch during the shooting and after the film’s release, to no avail. It’s strange. Usually, Shah Rukh is very accessible to producers and filmmakers who seek his support. He has agreed to play cameos in the silliest of films just because he was asked to. Wonder what happened this time!”

Garima Sharma (BOMBAY TIMES; June 17, 2016)

BOMBAY TIMES (June 15, 2016)

BOMBAY TIMES (June 12, 2016)

Except this one brings out the happy, joyful side of fandom to the fore
Subhash K Jha (DNA; April 14, 2016)


Other kind of fans
Nagesh’s film will shine a light on the kind of fans who make stardom worth the while. Dhanak (which means rainbow) is “the story of an eight-year-old blind boy Chotu promised by his nine-year-old sister Pari that he’ll get back his eyesight before his next birthday. The two children undertake a journey by foot to meet Shah Rukh, in the hope that he will help restore Chotu’s eyesight. The just-released trailer shows the two kids walk all across Rajasthan to meet Khan, who’s supposedly shooting in a far-off village. Along the way, they run into a variety of eccentric characters.

Random tale
The story came to Nagesh from a random conversation. He says, “I was told about this blind eight-year-old boy by someone. I wanted to turn into a story of hope and happiness.” For that, he cast child actor Krrish Chhabria as Chotu. Krrish has done TV shows before, but Nagesh was undeterred. “We auditioned 150 boys before selecting Krish. He’s an absolute natural. We needed a boy who could act and also look naturally blind.”

Tough times
Nagesh had a harrowing time directing children in Rockford. “After that film, I decided: Never again. But this story just sucked me into itself. I had to make Dhanak.”

Nagesh did a month’s workshop with Krrish. “We had him spend a day at a school for the blind, just to see and experience how blind children live. We also put a blindfold on him and made him walk around with it. Krrish is amazingly dedicated. And he has a kind, sensible dad who doesn’t behave like normal parents of star-kids.” Pari is played by child actor Hetal Gada.

Nagesh admits he had a tough time shooting in the desert. “We shot in the deserts of Rajasthan for 35 days. It was scorching hot and we had two children playing the lead who couldn’t be pushed to work like adult actors. So I had to shoot around their moods and convenience in hostile weather. But I enjoyed the challenge of doing something unexpected. It is what gives me my identity as a filmmaker.”

Incidentally, Dhanak (June 10) releases two months after SRK’s Fan (April 15), which shows an obsessive fan creating havoc in Shah Rukh Khan’s character’s life.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 16, 2015)

Nagesh Kukunoor's Dhanak revolving around 10-year old Pari (Hetal Gada), Chotu (Krrish Chhabria), her eight-year-old blind brother and their journey through Rajasthan has been honoured with The Grand Prix for Best Feature-length Film at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. The Manish Mundra-produced film has also earned Special Mention for the Best Feature Film by the Children's Jury in the Generation K-plus category.

An excited Nagesh, who was heading back from Berlin, admitted to Mirror that the victory is yet to sink in. "I think it will on the flight back. I thought Berlinale would be a regular affair but our first show, with 1200 viewers, was completely sold-out. And the applause continued long after the film ended!" he exulted. "My only regret is that instead of the kids, Hetal and Krrish, it was us adults hogging the limelight. I've promised to take them along for the next festival."

When handing him the trophy, the Children's Jury described Dhanak as a colourful, touching and entertaining film for all ages. "It perfectly summed up the idea of the film," Nagesh asserted, saying he should have some clarity on the film's Indian release once he's back in Mumbai. "We're hoping to release it this year."

Will Dhanak be the next The Lunchbox? "There's a lot of interest from sales agents here," he said. "After the win, that should intensify. The Lunchbox is more of an 'adults' drama while mine is a commercial film for all ages." 

A Dubai businessman saving indie filmmakers from disillusionment is the cinema lover's newly favourite star
Arpita Chatterjee (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 8, 2015)

It takes 140 characters to convince Manish Mundra to fund a film. When director Rajat Kapoor, in a moment of vexation, took to Twitter in July 2012 to announce his temporary retirement from filmmaking, he was protesting the lack of support from financiers to see Ankhon Dekhi, his latest film, through. The Sanjay Mishra-starrer took home the Best Film (Critics) and Best Male Actor (Critics) awards at Filmfare last week, but couldn't find a producer. Mundra saw Kapoor's tweet, agreed to fund the one million dollar project - again, through a tweet ('Sir, I am a huge fan, and I will produce your film') - raising curiosity all over again about who indie cinema's latest rescuer really was.

Doing the knight in shining armour act before, Mundra had made news last September by rescuing the 16th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival organised by Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI), when title sponsor Reliance pulled out. His contribution totalled Rs 50 lakh, making him the single largest contributor to the Mumbai film fest. And he isn't even a Mumbaikar.

The 41-year-old managing director of Indorama, a multi billion dollar petro-chemical firm headquartered in Nigeria, divides his time between Africa and Dubai, where he lives with his wife and 12-year-old and seven-year-old son in a penny plain apartment whose one corner is strewn with toys. The living room is fragrant with the lingering aroma of hing, speaking of a lunch of bhakridal.

"My story starts with nothing. My family lost everything when I was little," says Mundra, who sold cold drinks on the streets of Deoghar in Bihar, where the Marwari family had moved from native Rajasthan. He decided to live with his maternal grandmother while pursuing an MBA from Jodhpur University, taking over the reigns when she fell ill.

He stood first, he smiles, sipping on a cup of chai at the dining table.

Working through several firms in the Aditya Birla Group, he joined Indorama's Jakarta branch in 2002, sticking on to set up its petrochemical operations in Nigeria from scratch.

Not new to risks, his decision to back a good script is gut-driven. And it speaks of a passion he has harboured since he was a boy, running errands for his mother to shave off a few rupees to buy a cinema ticket.

This year, he plans to invest double of last year in film production. His film company, Drishyam Films, runs out of an office in Andheri with a team of six. "One or two good films a year is what I am currently looking at making," he says.

And he is open to co-productions ("it's important to share the risk, expand the span of investment and the scope of the film"), like he pulled off with Swati Shetty of Samosa Stories. The two are behind Prashant Nair's Umrika, which won the Audience award in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section of the recently-concluded Sundance Film Festival 2015. Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori (The Grand Budapest Hotel), Prateik and Adil Hussein star in a story about a boy who tries to save his mother from heartbreak, by fabricating letters from his brother, believed to be in America, but actually, missing. Interestingly, Shetty also reached out to Mundra on Twitter.

Dhanak, Nagesh Kukunoor's upcoming project, and Waiting, a film by Anu Menon starring Naseeruddin Shah and Kalki Koechlin are part of Mundra's 2015 final line-up which he zeroed in on after racing through close to 50 scripts. "I can afford to take a risk in cinema because I make my money elsewhere," he clarifies. "The last 20 years have seen awful cinema from India. I'm looking for stories with an Indian ethos. Which is why I am keen to go to festivals; to put India on the map of good filmmaking."

The other criteria, is Amitabh Bachchan. With Laawaris, Kala Patthar and Deewar as favourites, Mundra speaks of backing a film that stars the senior star.

The quiet confidence is what makes him a dream producer, says Menon, who recalls going into a tizzy with ideas for marketing Waiting just before it went on floors, says Mundra simply said, "You go and make the best film you can and the rest will follow."

"His ability to back you, without conditions, is what sets him apart from the others," she says.

It's his roots, believes director Neeraj Ghaywan, whose first feature film, Masaan, Mundra will produce, that draws him to stories from the hinterland. And giving back to smalltown India isn't restricted to cinema.

Mundra speaks excitedly of a school in Jodhpur that supports 280 students whose parents can't afford to educate them. His foundation, Society for Rational Development (SFORD), was set up with the idea of providing lesser fortunate kids with the best possible classroom experience.

He might be a philanthropist, but Mundra has his indulgences. Cars don't capture his fancy ("I still use a company vehicle"), but the A. Lange & Sohne on his wrist captivates his imagination like a child's. "I started with nothing. I am not afraid of going back to nothing," he says, defining Mundra's biggest strength as producer — least risk position holder. 

Mundra-backed Ankhon Dekhi (top) won the Best Film Critics award at Filmfare; Umrica (centre) took the Audience award at Sundance Film Festival this week. A still from Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak (above)

Hetal Gada and Krrish Chhabria, lil' stars of Nagesh Kukunoor's Berlinale entry Dhanak, recount their days in front of the camera
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; February 4, 2015)

Nagesh Kukunoor's upcoming film, Dhanak (Rainbow), will have its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival which opens on February 5. It is the only Indian feature selected for the festival and will compete in the Generation K-plus category.

The film revolves around an eight-year-old blind boy whose elder sister promises him that his vision will return before his ninth birthday. This leads to a journey through Rajasthan with the film's little stars, Hetal Gada and Krrish Chhabria, delivering finely nuanced performances.

"We're really proud that our film will be screened in Berlin but because of visa problems we won't be able to travel. Nagesh sir has promised us that we will be at the next festival," says 11-year-old Hetal who plays the sister.

For her audition, she performed a scene in which she threatens her uncle saying she will take her brother to Shah Rukh Khan if he didn't organise for his eye operation.

"It was an intense, emotional scene and though I was nervous in the presence of the director of Dor and Iqbal, I pulled off the scene easily and am happy to make my debut in Nagesh sir's film," reminisces the sixth grader from St. Xavier's school.

Hetal's mother, Krupa, is quick to add that her daughter who has appeared in prints ads and serials like Bandini and Parichay, was selected from around 2,500 aspirants. Following this threat, the kids take off on a magical journey. "We shot in Rajasthan over June-July for 32 days. It was very hot and an ordeal to walk in the sand," recalls Krrish who plays the blind Chhotu.

The third standard student of Arya Vidya Mandir, Juhu, has done four other films, including The Daughter's Dream, Phantom, Talwaar and Katha. "Nagesh sir took me to a blind school and I observed how the children there spoke, read and interacted. After that it was easy," he shrugs nonchalantly, going on to describe in detail a fight with a fat co-actor, Saand Bhanu, in the desert. "It spilled over into the second day but Nagesh sir was happy. I had a deal with the make-up bhaiya that if I did a shot in one take, he'd give me a chocolate, if it took me a couple of retakes I had to make the gift. I got more chocolates from him than he got from me," Krrish smiles.

So, he's a good actor, huh? "I'm a smart kid," he retorts, "Aur bada hokar main actor hi banoonga, like my favourite Shah Rukh Khan. I loved his Happy New Year... And The Avengers too. I don't have any favourite actresses though."

At nine, Krrish obviously hasn't developed a fascination for the opposite sex yet. Shy Hetal was like a sister for real with whom he did a lot of masti on the sets.

"His dad would help us with our studies and sometimes he'd tell me to help Krrish with lessons but he'd convince me to let him play hooky," Hetal laughs.

In front of the camera however it was all work and no play. Hetal remembers filming in a village around 7 pm. "There were black, red and yellow insects flying all around. We were petrified of being bitten and enveloped ourselves with a shawl. Even our faces were covered, till it was time for a shot," she shudders.

A bigger ordeal was lying down on a sand dune from 8 am till 3 pm, pretending to be in a dead faint. "Since sand patterns shift with even the slightest movement, I couldn't move even an inch through those seven long hours. When it was time for lunch, Nagesh sir fed me himself, apologizing profusely. He is a wonderful man and a fine director. I have yet to see the complete film but from what I have seen during the dubbing, bahut pasand aaya," smiles Hetal.

And like Krrish does she also nurture Bollywood dreams? "Yes, I want to be a heroine like my idol Kareena Kapoor when I grow up and make my mummy, nana and nani really proud of me," she asserts.

She loves to watch Kareena's films, and in particular her dances. "The expressions on her face match her movements perfectly. I'm a good dancer too," she concludes with a smile.

Ankur Pathak (MUMBAI MIRROR; December 13, 2014)