The rainbow children

Shiboprosad Mukherjee, Gargi Roychoudhury and the child Akashneel

By Shoma A. Chatterji

Every child is like a rainbow, a product of nature and cannot be manipulated by man. The film Ramdhanu, meaning ‘rainbow’ co-directed by Shiboprosad Mukherjee and Nandita Roy endeavour to make a statement that children should be valued for what they are and parents should allow them to remain as colourful as the rainbow. “The film is based on a story by Suchitra Bhattacharya called Randhanu-r Rong meaning ‘the colours of the rainbow.’ Though she wrote the story in 2000-2001, it is as relevant as it was then.”
The film exposes the invisible ‘tags’ that are attached to so-called ‘exclusive’ schools that parents are desperate to admit their kids, even when there are equally good or even better schools around. “Getting children admitted to exclusive schools has become a status symbol and an ego-fight between and among parents of tiny tots. This created imperialism in education, among parents and even in schools is something our film is trying to point out,” says Shiboprosad. Roy adds, “We have tried to treat the film with a light touch because we have worked with 260 children fit for pre-nursery and nursery schools who participated in the film. We also persuaded some of the parents to act in the film, and this made the work entertaining and fun-filled.”
For the first time, the audience will be privy to an one-month workshop that aspiring parents of tiny tots were given as an orientation programme to help them face interviews with the schools before admission. Though this is a projection of a dream-like situation, the trainer (Rachana Banerjee) also points out that under the Right to Education Act, 2009, no school can force parents and their kids to face pre-admission interviews, but she still trains them through picnics, parties and so on which helps to change some of their perspectives on life.
“We have focussed on a micro example of a young couple, Mitali and Laltu and their four-year-old boy Gogol facing the issue of interviews in exclusive schools while the little boy is oblivious of all that is going on and is busy watching kites in the sky or a rainbow across the horizon,” says Shiboprosad.
With good films like Icchhe, Accident, Muktodhara and Alikh Sukh behind them, Ramdhanu promises lovely nursery rhymes tweaked here and there to suit the situation with lots and lots of kids dancing and singing their way into the hearts of a family audience. Composer Smriti Lala, founder of Raag Anuraag Music Research Academy, says she enjoyed working on the film. Shirsa Ray has done the cinematography. Rachana Banerjee has enacted the role of the workshop trainer who has started this enterprise triggered by a personal tragedy. Director Shiboprosad plays Gogol’s father, while Gargi Roychoudhury has played the mother and the sweet, naive and innocent Gogol has been portrayed by Akashneel. Atanu Roychoudhury has produced the film along with Windows, Shiboprosad and Nandita’s home production house. “Our film has no villains, no item numbers and nothing that can be termed as adult fare. It is our aim to provide wholesome entertainment that the entire family can watch together and be entertained for two hours. If the message comes across, well and good. There are few films being made dealing with issues based on our motto — good education not good school. We wished to fill the lacuna somewhat with Ramdhanu,” says Shiiboprosad as Nandita nods in agreement.

 

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