‘Working with kids is easy if you get them’

After I Am Kalam (2011), Nila Madhab Panda’s second film on children, Halkaa, has also won the top honour — “Grand Prix de Montreal” — at the 21st Festival International du Pour Enfants de Montreal. The film tells the story of a young boy, Pichku, played by child actor Tathastu, and his aspirations of having hygienic and clean spaces, growing up in the slums of Delhi. “Just as in I am Kalam, where the child dreams about going to school, in this film as well the child dreams of clean spaces. A space which is his own, whether he wants to sleep, go to the loo or play,” said the director, without revealing more of the story. Actors Ranvir Shorey and Paoli Dam play the role of Pichku’s parents. Halkaa has since been invited to six film festivals.

Despite being the largest film producing industry, there are a minuscule number of films made in Hindi on and for children. Talking about what drew him towards working with kids, Panda said, “I like to see the honesty and innocence with which a child sees the world and its people. I want to create that perception for a worldwide audience.” However, working with children is anything but a cakewalk. “Working with children becomes easy if you understand them and become children with them. If you try to treat them as you would treat adult actors, you’re inviting trouble. You have to be as careful with them just as you would be with your own children. They have mood swings. There are also days when you’re working in difficult conditions; it becomes more difficult — there are multiple concerns like food, health, and sanitation. With adults, you’re carefree because they can take care of themselves, whereas with children its almost like you’re making two films — half the work goes into taking care of them and half in the actual production of the film,” stated the director, with a laugh.

With a filmography of socially relevant films like I Am Kalam (2011), Jalpari (2012) and Kadwi Hawa (2017), the filmmaker has an insider’s perspective on the indie scene in the country. “For an indie filmmaker in India, it’s still very difficult. Every film is a new struggle. There’s a struggle to make it, raise funds for it, release it. We say things are changing in this country but alas, not significantly enough. It’s always the masala entertainer and star-based system that pushes everything else out. For me, this struggle has been going on for a long time, hopefully one day this kind of cinema will also get valued. However, since I’ve been able to make a name for myself and it is comparatively easier.” Panda does not deny the effect of the great equaliser — digital streaming platforms. “Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and even television are helping independent filmmakers find an audience for their work,” he asserted.

Would the filmmaker want to work with A-list stars, such as Akshay Kumar who has championed the cause of menstrual hygiene in Padman earlier this year? “It’s not only about socially relevant stories. As a director, I don’t know when a story will come to me. When it does, I work on it. That’s the innocence an artist has. I don’t really plan too much. When I have the story, I make sure that the crew I want with me on the film are there and make it happen. I do have some preferences when it comes to my crew, but it largely depends on the film. For example, every cinematographer has his own way of telling stories, whoever fits into that particular subject is more important,” Panda explained.