Marathi children films get mature

When we think ���children���s films���, we think ���fun and light entertainment���. But the recent lot of Marathi films have gone beyond this. They no longer underestimate their young audience and their maturity level.
Take for example Taryanche Bait and Shaala, and more recent films like Arohi, Babu Band Baaja, Jana Gana Mana, Khel Mandla and Dambis. What���s common and striking in all these movies, apart from kids being their focal point, is that they are spun around mature subjects, sometimes laced with underlying social messages.
So, what is inspiring filmmakers to make such films? Involving children to present a profound issue definitely has a more powerful impact than showing melodramatic situations or lecturing one about them, feels director Rajesh Pinjani of Babu Band Baaja. ���Children have neutral feelings and justify things faster. They are not superheroes but can create a deep and meaningful impact. So using their perspective for a film makes it more interesting,��� he says.
Actor-director Makrand Anaspure���s debut venture Dambis reflected an eight-year-old boy���s experience of living in a nuclear family. He says, ���Unlike the lives of kids today, our generation was never stuck in globalisation. The concerns, preferences and even the problems of today���s generation have changed. This amuses me and was the motivation of my film. This kind of cinema is just a reflection of what is happening in the society. According to me these are the real contemporary subjects.��� Actor Prasad Oak���s upcoming flick Amhi Chamakte Taare will showcase the conflict of an AIDS infected child and his parents with the society. ���There are so many issues concerning the lives of children around us; it���s just that we are watching them on screen now,��� Oak says. Actor Santosh Juvekar, who acted in Jana Gana Mana, agrees and chips in, ���Parents should make it a point to take their children to watch these movies. There are millions of children who are less fortunate and whose plights should be understood by the lucky few so that they become more considerate in life.���