Mansiya dreads November 14, the day when children in the country get to celebrate their childhood. It was on that day in 2015, the 16-year-old Manjeri school student’s wedding was fixed.
The way she stood up and stoically stalled the wedding has now become the plot for a short film on child marriage.
Titled ‘Pathinettu,’ the film was brought out by the District Child Protection Unit, Malappuram, to train focus on the issue.
The 20-minute-film opens with shots of preparations for Mansiya’s wedding but the happy frames are soon replaced with images of her distress.
The film narrates the run-up to the wedding. Even little freedoms are denied to Mansiya after her bethrothal. She is unable to study and is expected to kow-tow to the wishes of her betrothed. The uncertainty of what is in store for her weighs her down.
A suffocated Mansiya (played by Tanya Punnakkal, a Plus One student herself, in the film) opens up to a friend who urges her to act. She then musters up the courage to go to a police station and seek help to stop the wedding.
The officers render immediate help by informing her parents about the consequences and resort to a bit of cajoling, and even warning. The parents finally see sense, and call off the wedding.
Sameer Machingal, District Child Protection Officer, Malappuram, who has acted in the film, says the film has been titled ‘Pathinettu’ to send across the message that those below the age of 18 were children.
Child marriages, he says, are not specific to Malappuram. “The 2011 Census showed that child marriages occurred all over the State, in every community.”
Work on the film lasted nearly seven months. The shooting took a week, and among the places it was shot was the Manjeri police station, which was facilitated by District Police Chief Debesh Kumar Behera.
Police stations
“The actual incident occurred when the campaign to make police stations in Malappuram child-friendly was on. So, when Mr. Behera came to know about it, he suggested that it be documented. The idea of a short film was thus born,” Mr. Machingal says.
Child Welfare Committee members Haris Panjilly and M. Manikantan, Childline assistant Muhsin Pari, Manjeri Circle Inspector Sunny Chacko, an advocate Beena Joseph, and school teacher Sahana Asifa are some of the others who have played significant roles in the film.
Tanya who plays Mansiya was zeroed down for the role after school students were asked to come for a screening in which the director of the film M. Sabarish was present. The students who took part in the audition too got their screen time – they all appear as Mansiya’s classmates in the film.
Minister for Social Justice K.K. Shylaja released the CD on National Girl Child Day recently by handing it over to Social Justice Director T.V. Anupama. The first screening of the film was also held.
Mr. Machingal says the documentary was released on National Girl Child Day to inspire other girls to stand up against the social menace and also to impress upon them that systems such as the police, child protection unit, prohibition officers, lawyers, and anganwadi teachers, are in place to work together to prevent child marriages.
There is an equal need to reach out to boys, he says, as they have a major role to play in curbing such practices. “The film will be shown in schools and a discussion on child marriage held.”
