NEW DELHI: Once upon a time, films catering to children remained in the precincts of parallel and serious cinema in Bollywood.
Over the years, the genre has undergone a sea change, with many filmmakers entwining emotional and educational themes into commercial entertainers not just for children, but for adult viewers as well.
In the past decade, filmmakers have tried to cater to children with animation projects like My Friend Ganesha, Bal Ganesh, Hanuman, Hanuman Returns and Ghatothkach. But they have also experimented with children-related, issue-based themes like Taare Zameen Par and Stanley Ka Dabba to strike a chord with youngsters.
On the occasion of Children’s Day Monday, IANS lists a few children’s films that either tugged at the viewers’ heartstrings, or claimed box office success or even garnered critical acclaim.
Mr.India (1987) – At the core, this cult classic was a sci-fi superhero film, but the magic and thrill behind Anil Kapoor’s invisibility act, and the emotional angle of over a dozen orphaned children, made this Shekhar Kapur directed movie much loved by children.
Halo (1996) – A heart-wrenching tale, Halo traces the journey of seven-year-old lonely girl Sasha, who believes a street dog, whom she adopts and names ‘Halo’, is a god-sent miracle. What happens when the dog gets lost, and Sasha traverses the streets of Mumbai in search of the pooch, forms the rest of the story of this Santosh Sivan-directed, National award-winning film.
Taare Zameen Par (2007)- Aamir Khan proved how emotional tales for children and about children can break box office records too. A poignant story of a dyslexic child, who overcomes his learning disability thanks to a supportive teacher, “Taare Zameen Par” won hearts, critical acclaim and box office success alike. It netted Rs.770 million in its fourth week. (IANS)