A film that focuses on parent, ward friction

PUNE: Choosing films as a medium to reach out to both parents and their wards, the Maharashtra Education Society's (MES) Personality Development Centre has made a short Marathi film titled Bonsai' which will be screened for the first time at the Garware College Hall on July 17 at 5.30 pm. Poet Sandeep Khare will be the chief guest at the function which will also see a discussion after the film is screened.
Addressing the media, director of the Personality Development Centre Bharat Desai said, "The film is about Atharva, a boy studying in the sixth grade who is intelligent and loves to compose poems but is unable to excel in exams.This causes a lot of friction with his parents since they have huge expectations from him."
Desai also explains the unique title of the film saying that a parent's expectation is like bonsai. "You can mould a bonsai as and how you want it, parents do the same with their child knowingly or unknowingly. But what is essential is to let the child progress as per his capability and encourage kids to pursue what they like," he says.
In today's world, every family has working parents with a busy life, said psychologist and co-ordinator of the centre Ketaki Kulkarni. "In the midst of this rush there is a lack of proper communication between the child and his parents. We want to broach this very topic with the parents and the kids," she said.
Aimed at schools, NGOs and other organisations involved in the field of education, the film would be screened with a discussion following it immediately after. "We have also created a set of questions that should be discussed by the group watching the film. We expect the film to be watched in a group so that there is scope for discussion," said Desai.
The one hour-12 minute film would be available for sale during the function on July 17 and thereafter at the centre's office on Paud road. Speaking of the centre, Desai said that MES is the only organisation that has employed full-time counsellors at nine of its schools recognising the importance of counselling. "The film is actually based on two real-life cases where both families had come to us for counselling. It is then that we realised how essential it is to focus on the issue," he said.