Aamir and Manisha with Adil in Akele Hum Akele Tum

Ayesha Kapoor in Black

The world’s largest producer of films, Bollywood acts sadly shy when it comes to making films on, with or for children. Jayas and Raveenas and Nafisas notwithstanding, it’s a mystery what the staff of our Children’s Film Society do to kill time. All we have, that too from private efforts, are the occasional Makdees and Hanumans, gapped out between years. The latter was a big yawn, anyway. If only one had more Gulzars around, who have the ‘bigness’ to admit that children are the barometer he uses to judge himself. And to provoke and hold their imagination is far more difficult than an adult’s. Like him, Satyajit Ray not only made some of the most sensitive films of our times, but never used children merely as add-ons. Gulzar used children brilliantly in Parichay and Kitaab and he composed the song that became an anthem, Jungle jungle pata chala hai for the Indian version of Kipling’s Jungle Book for Doordarshan. Ray’s handling of children is classic. Whether in films with children like Pather Panchali, or for children like Goopy Gyne Bagha Byne, without even children!

Like films for children, those on children also remain few and spaced out through the years. Mira Nair’s Salaam Bombay! remains one of the most sensitive portrayals of children in recent times. Children, of course, are not meant to see it. Just like Ayesha Kapoor was not allowed to even know the subject of the film, Sanaa. She was just told what to do. Children in films with sensitive subjects, like Rahul and Akele Hum Akele Tum, both of which deal with children trapped in troubled marriages, are just as few. As are films on special children, though 2005 should be celebrated for coming up with at least three films with special people ? Black, Main Aisa Hi Hoon and Iqbal ? all involving children. Except for the few in-between Kunwara Baap, which was real-life Mehmood and his physically challenged son in the cast, Mani Ratnam’s Anjali, about a two-year-old challenged girl, Tera Mera Saath Rahen about a 14 year-old boy with

cerebral palsy, special children have hardly ever been portrayed in films. Koi...Mil Gaya, however, remains a favourite with children, rightly so. Our filmmakers prefer orphans more and two blockbusters, Brahmachari and Mr India, among others have capitalised on their emotion
quotient to draw tears from the eyes of the audience. The death of little Tina in Mr India had the nation in tears. The list could be extended a bit, but not not long enough to bring up cheer. Deepali Singh