Category Films

Smile Pinki (2008) is a 39-minute documentary directed by Megan Mylan. The film shows the story of a poor girl in rural India whose life is transformed when she receives free surgery to correct her cleft lip. 

“Nomination of Smile Pinki for an Oscar is bound to bring awareness about this congenital anomaly among the general public and health agencies and therefore it is a good news for all cleft patients whose life can change,” said an elated Singh.

Produced in Hindi (with English subtitles), Smile Pinki was also a 2008 nominee for best documentary short by the International Documentary Association.

Others in race with Smile Pinki are The Conscience of Nhem En, The Final Inch, and The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306.

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Ever since the trailer of Nagesh Kukunoor’s ‘Dhanak’ was released, it managed to tug at the deepest corners of the heart. Starring Hetal Gadda and Krrish Chhabria as the two children, the film revolves around the lives of eight-year-old visually impaired boy Chotu and his 10-year-old sister Pari.

Pari, who had promised her younger brother that he’ll be able to see before he turns 9, sets out on a magical journey with Chotu to meet their reel-life hero Shah Rukh Khan who is apparently promoting an eyes donation campaign.

The film was premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Crystal Bear Grand Prix for Best Children’s Film, and Special Mention for the Best Feature Film by The Children’s Jury for Generation Kplus.

The film has also garnered the Best Film Award in the main category-Children’s Feature Film Competition-Cinema in Sneakers (film festival), and the Best Film Award – at the Montreal International Children’s Film Festival (FIFEM). Dhanak was also screened at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, and the Toronto International Film Festival. The film has garnered Best Children’s Film at the 64th National Film Awards.

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The Blue Umbrella is a 2005 Indian drama film based on the novel The Blue Umbrella (1980) by Ruskin Bond. It was directed by Vishal Bhardwaj and starred Shreya Sharma and Pankaj Kapur in lead roles. The music was by Bhardwaj and lyrics were penned by Gulzar. The story is about a conflict between a young girl and a mean old man in a small hill town in Himachal Pradesh.

In a small village of Himachal Pradesh, a little girl Binya trades her lucky leopard’s claw pendant for a pretty, frilly blue umbrella.

There were many who envied Binya her treasured possession, and the most envious of them all was old Ram Bharosa, the shopkeeper, who decided that he must own the blue umbrella, by means fair or foul.

The Blue Umbrella received positive reviews, including Hindustan Times writer Khalid Mohamed who describes it as a child’s confection ‘with passages of charm, visual aplomb and lively performances.’ The acting of Pankaj Kapur is noted in particular.

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From award winning director Santosh Sivan, TAHAAN is a stunningly shot, fable-like story set in scenic but strife-ridden Kashmir. The conflict is used as backdrop for the story of an eight-year-old boy, Tahaan, who tries to gain back his beloved pet donkey that has been sold to pay the family debt.

After major commercial releases such as The Terrorist (1999), Asoka (2001), Anandabhadram (2005) and Before the Rains (2007), award-winning director Santosh Sivan got the idea for this film after reading a newspaper report. He formed a fable-like story from the report.

Since Kashmir is a strife-torn area, films are rarely picturised there. However, in the case of this film, Sivan thought that audiences can relate it to the film well. It was only after 18 years that a film was filmed in Kashmir.

While filming in Pahalgam, Sivan realised to his surprise that children were comfortable with guns. It seemed to him that it was a part of everyday life for them. The film makes eloquent use of Quranic verses or azaan, for which the director took help from research scholars in Kashmir.

Picture Credit : Google