There is a difference between films about children and films for children. A majority of children's films being produced today don't have indigenous content that talk of the world children are familiar with.
Earlier, many were hesitant to produce ‘children's films' because it was not economically viable. The situation is different now with the government announcing Rs. 25 lakh subsidy for four ‘qualitative' children's films.
Producers are keen on availing themselves of the ‘attractive' incentive, but few have the conviction to make films that really focus on the children's world, without making it preachy. Considering the appreciation Ball Pen, directed by Shashikanth, is receiving, the movie may have made an exception.
Actor Srinagar Kitty decided to mark the first birthday of his daughter by producing a children's film under the banner Mahanadi Creations. His wife, Bhavana Belegere, supported him in the venture. The story is by K.C. Manjunath.
Neglected issues
Ball Pen is a story of a few children who attempt to address issues neglected by the elders — the problem faced by farmers, issues of poverty and superstition in rural areas, etc. The story revolves around Keshava, a newspaper delivery boy, who, along with his two friends, decides to address the problems faced by people in a village in north Karnataka. It is the first Kannada film to be shot on 5D camera and transferred to 35 mm negative. While C.J. Rajkumar is cinematographer, Manikanth Kadri has scored the music.
Speaking to The Hindu, Shashikant said the film received appreciation during its screening at the Chennai Children's Film Festival. “Cheran [of Autograph ] compared the film to Majid Majidi's Iranian classic Children of Heaven and his words made me really proud,” he confessed.
Though Ball Pen is tagged as a children's film, it is a film for adults too, he said. It is a kind of crossover film, which reiterates the popular adage, ‘pen is mightier than the sword', he said.
So what drew Shashikant — who directed the commercial film IPC Section 300 — towards Ball Pen ? Children's films often revolve around kids falling into an adventure for some ‘social' cause. Filmmakers rarely venture into movies such as Taare Zameen Par and Stanley Ka Dabba . “When Manjunath narrated the story of Ball Pen , I was really moved and decided to make it. Srinagar Kitty extended his support to the venture and the film was shot for 24 days in Bangalore and Hyati Mudargi, a village in Koppal taluk,” he said.
As for making the movie in 5D technology, Shashikant said the future of films lay in digital technology.
