Bagful of Hope

Tom Alter and Yash Shah in a still from the film

By Akshay Khandekar

The timing of the Marathi film release Daptar (The School Bag), couldn’t have been better. The SSC results are out and most teenagers are looking forward to a college life, barring those who have not made it. Is failing an exam the end of all possibilities in life? Daptar, which released on June 20, deals with academic depression and suicidal tendencies among teenagers. With this film, theatre actor Tom Alter forays into Marathi cinema. The film has been directed by Pundalik Dhumal.
Talking about the film, Alter says, “Students are under a lot of pressure nowadays. At a time they are supposed to be full of zest, they suffer from depression. This film motivates those who fail and helps reduce the fear of failure.”
The film revolves around a young boy, played by Yash Shah, who attempts suicide because of school pressure, but is rescued by one “magic uncle”, the role played by Alter who says, “I play a Catholic person, who stays near the family. My character film speaks this mixed dialect of Hindi-Marathi. Hence I didn’t have to make efforts to learn the language. But language was never an issue for me. If the script is good, I don’t even mind doing a Bengali or a Tamil movie.”
Comparing the current education system to his school days, the 63-year-old actor says, “During my time, there were no central examinations and there was less pressure and expectations. Things have changed now. Due to tough competition, pressure is bound to be there but I feel it should not compel students to commit suicide. According to a recent study, after farmers, it is the students who are more prone to suicide in the country.”
“I had seen Alter’s movie, Ocean of an Old Man in which he played a sympathetic teacher. I found him perfect for the role and approached him,” says Dhumal, who is also the scriptwriter of the film.