Master Kishan, a boy wonder all of 10 years old, has weaved the story of the Kannada film Care Of Footpath, directed it, and acted in it -- a Guinness Book of World Records feat.
It is very difficult to objectively assess a film made by a 10 year old. But it has to be said that this is a film not to be dismissed as the work of a little boy. It has a good story, good sequences and good music (by Sri Shyla, Kishan's mother). The actors have performed well. The work of the entire technical department is tidy, especially Mathew Rajan's realistic photography in slums.
The film is about a boy (Kishan) from a slum, who works as a rag picker. He wants to study but his friends try to dampen his enthusiasm. When he tries to get into a school, he gets cheated. When a school teacher-cum-social worker comes to know of his interest in studies, he helps the boy get admission in a school. His teachers soon find that he has enough intelligence to appear for the class seven examination but his age permits him to only write the fifth standard examination. The boy meets the chief minister and the education minister to plead his case. Soon, a committee is formed to determine whether the boy can take the seventh standard examination. He is successful in the interview, much to the delight of his friends and the teacher.
It is quite evident budget constraints have forced Kishan not to take too many risks in the narration. The story itself demands major portions of the film to be shot outdoors.
As the rag picker, Master Kishan has deserves full marks for his performance. Jackie Shroff shines in the role of the chief minister, so also Saurabh Shukla as a street-smart politician. National Award-winner Tara has done a good job and theatre artiste B Jayashree shines in the role of Kishan's grandmother. The presence of Ambareesh and Sudeep are the added attractions of the film.
Journalists Udaya Marakkini and Jogi have done a good job in writing the script for the film. The dialogues, written by Mysore Harish, are meaningful and have the necessary punch.
The bottom line: Care Of Footpath is certainly much better than the predictable Kannada films that are released every week.
