The Bachcha Party

This summer,children take over the big screen as entertainers.

This summer,a young superhero Zokkomon has risen and offered plenty of adventures. Stanley too has his share of fun up his sleeves. A group of notorious kids and a dog will show off their antics in Chillar Party while Hawai Dada will take the audience on a fantasy ride with the story of the relationship between a grandfather and his grand-daughter. In the coming weeks,the audience are likely to grow familiar with their stories. As well as the fact that childrens films can no longer be pigeonholed.

With film studios,producers and directors willing to put their money on off-beat projects,two Hindi films with young protagonists Amole Guptes Stanley Ka Dabba and Vikas Bahl and Nitish Tiwaris Chillar Party are slated to release in the coming weeks. Later this year,Ajay Kartiks Hawai Dada will hit theatres too. Satyajit Bhatkals Zokkomon starring Darsheel Safary that released recently also has been appreciated by kids. Even though all these films have children in lead roles,their makers have reservations about tagging them as childrens films.

It is the shortsightedness of the audience that makes them believe that a childrens film isnt for the adults. Films with children as protagonists are rather universal in appeal, feels Gupte,who is the writer of Taare Zameen Par. Bhatkal echoes: We must stop calling them childrens films. If we perceive them as family films,then we will be able to broaden our horizons. He cites instances of films such as Lion King and Home Alone which have done tremendously well with all age groups.

In India too,movies like Makdee,Blue Umbrella and Taare Zameen Par with children at their centre have enjoyed a good run at the box-office. This is probably why the makers are now insisting on targetting a larger share of audience with these childrens films. Bahl feels that most people can relate to the adventures of kids and a dog. Gupte pitches Stanley Ka Dabba as the victory of the human spirit. As if taking cue,Bhatkals movie,which was initially called a superhero film,was later promoted as a family film. Darsheel Safary is the only kid protagonist in the movie. It has grownups too and all the characters of the film are important, says the director,defending the move.

However,despite efforts to bridge the gap,childrens films still are few and far in between. The star-driven industry in India is to be blamed for it to a large extent. Unless we have Shah Rukh Khan playing a 10-year-old,it is difficult to bring audiences to the theatre. This is one of the reasons why studios shy away from backing kid-centric projects. For Bhatkal,it is the obsession of the industry with the boy-meets-girl story that stops directors from experimenting with genres like these.

There are other practical problems too. When children act in films,the shooting schedules are worked around their vacation. While Bhatkal and Bahl shot mostly during summer vacations,Gupte shot on Saturdays. We shot for 76 days,all on Saturdays at Holy Family School in Andheri, says Gupte,who handled the shoot like a workshop and then edited it into a full-fledged film. Bhatkal had to make do with the presence of Safarys tuition teacher on the sets.

The child stars might be positioned as family entertainers in the new scheme of things,but they are still not treated as par with regular Bollywood actors. Their pay packet varies between Rs 25-75 lakh depending on their saleability and popularity.

Story continues below this ad

Dismal marketing and lack of platforms remain major concerns too,theatening to scuttle the efforts to reinvent this genre. A case in point is Sagar Ballarys Kaccha Limboo. This film,which released in mid-February,failed to grab eyeballs owing to dismal publicity. Marketing becomes an expensive proposition. Also there are only a handful of channels which show live action movies involving kids, says Gaurav Jain,director of a recent childrens film Ashoka The Hero.

However,things are looking with major studios such as Fox and UTV Spotboy offering their support. A known name always helps a movie sell. With studios backing,looks like audience will also digest the newer genres, says Bahl,former head of UTV Spotboy.