Braving the World
The film, backed by Children’s Film Society, India, tells the story of a boy and a genie who is unhelpful.
AN eight-year-old boy changes schools and finds himself utterly lonely. The children from the fancy new institution scoff at him for his poor English and two left feet. Then a genie enters his life. Until this point, the story of Pappu Ki Pagdandi sounds like a regular fairy tale. But what follows in the life of Pappu sets the film apart, and it’s no surprise that the film has been selected for the kiddie edition of Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF Kids) 2015.
The film, backed by Children’s Film Society, India, tells the story of a boy and a genie who is unhelpful. Lazy and chatty, this genie is tired of fulfilling the wishes of children who turn needy and greedy over time. “The story communicates that there are no shortcuts to hard work and the genie is a metaphor for the shortcuts that we all seek in life,” says debutant director Seemaa Desai.
Desai chose the story, set in Manali and penned by TV writer Pramod Singh, for its simplicity. In a refreshing move, the director also breaks away from the patriarchal concept of the family to show a stay-at-home father and a working mother. Pappu Ki Pagdandi, which premiered at the first edition of the National Children’s Film Festival last November, will be screened at TIFF Kids on April 7, before its India release later this year.
Source:: Indian Express
