The title of this 100-minute Kannada film ‘Sneha Yathre’ simply means a ‘journey of friendship’ and director is confident enough to take viewers on this journey in full film format, complete with DTS sound.
“I am an Indian. Just because I am Telugu does not mean I need a reason to make a Kannada film. And considering the target audience, we all know that children do not have barriers of languages, no boundaries and no nativity. A kid can adapt to any language in a jiffy,” says Sai Prasad, the man who wielded the megaphone for this movie.
Unlike most filmmakers, a rather modest-looking Sai does not hold back details of the project. It’s about a boy and a girl and their journey of friendship, literally. Now, he does not want people to jump to conclusions. It’s about a poor boy and a rich girl get to be friends, he hastens to add. In a particular situation, a boat capsizes and the boy disappears and the rest of the story rambles on.
A few scenes later, a fortune-teller helps reinforce the girl’s belief that the boy must be alive somewhere. As for the cast, it includes veteran actor Nassar, with Harshitha from Hyderabad and Pavitra Lokesh in the lead roles. Suffice it to say that the message -- that of the need for access to education to be given, particularly to the girl child too, is strong enough for Sai Prasad to feel confident.
He says producers would be motivated to make more films for children, if government encouraged with subsides and the like and if there was adequate media support to take the message to society. ‘Sneha Yathre’ has been selected for screening in the Children’s World category at the ongoing 18th International Children’s Film Festival of India.
