Sweet Dreams

"A long cherished dream" for Amol and Chitra Palekar, Kairee and the world of Taanimausi and her "sweet-and-sour" niece was visualised 18 years ago. "But the time wasn’t right then," says Palekar. Based on a story written by G A Kulkarni, Palekar was drawn to the tale due to its sheer simplicity — a thumb rule that runs through almost all Amol Palekar films, in craft as well as theme.

The perfect life of a 10-year-old girl is uprooted by the death of her parents and she is brought to her maternal aunt for care. She enters a hostile, debauched world, where Taanimausi is her only saving grace. Both live in a lonely "male-dominated" world, where the only thing that survives is a hope for a better tomorrow. Except Mohan Gokhale (his last completed film), who doesn’t fail to make his presence felt, Kairee has a cast of seven promising debutants. Shilpa Navalkar (Taanimausi), daughter of culture minister Pramod Navalkar, and Yogita Deshmukh, the young girl, steal the show with their fresh spontaneity.Written by Chitra Palekar and produced by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Amol Palekar has no complaints in spite of the small budget. "If Mira Nair says she makes her films with peanuts, I’ve made my film with less than peanuts. But no one else could have done more justice to it than I have."

Amol Palekar certainly doesn’t mince words — particularly when it comes to giving credit where it is due.

–SANJUKTA SHARMA