Every child is an individual

With Darsheel I didn't get as much time to teach him about cinema as I wished. With Partho it was different. I introduced him to the world cinema at the age of four. He attended acting and film workshops from that age," said Gupte.

"He isn't just a qualified child actor, he is a skilled actor. Partho understands the requirements of a child actor from within the camera range. He knows how to internalise a character and then put it forward. He has watched films about children with children in the lead, including the cinema of the Iranian maestro Majid Majidi," added the director who played a negative role in "Kaminey".

Gupte won't admit that Partho was born out of a feeling of betrayal that he suffered when "Taare Zammen Par" was taken away.

"That was so long ago. The past is washed away. I met Darsheel recently and he ran to me warmly. I've been working relentlessly with children in my organization Aseema. Every child is an individual. We can't compare Darsheel and Partho. But I can say this much - Partho has understood his character's requirements as well as any mature actor in this country," he said.

Darsheel and TZP changed the way child actors appeared on screen.

Amole protested: "Why 'Taare Zameen Par'? I'd say Shekhar Kapoor's 'Masoom' heralded a new natural style of acting by a child actor. Jugal Hansraj melted the viewers' hearts. I'd like to believe little Partho has the same quality."

-Indian Express

Victory of the human spirit!

This summer, a young Stanley has loads of fun up his sleeves for the audiences who are likely to grow familiar with his story! Directed by Amole Gupte, SKD revolves around a dabba and his friends. Set up in a school, the movie promises to make the audience remember their school days. With film studios, producers and directors willing to put their money on off-beat projects, Amole Gupte’s Stanley Ka Dabba, is slated to release on May13.

“Films with children as protagonists are rather universal in appeal, It is the shortsightedness of the audience that makes them believe that a chidren’s film isn’t for the adults.” feels Gupte, who is the writer of Taare Zameen Par. In India movies like Makdee, Blue Umbrella and Taare Zameen Par — with children at their centre — have enjoyed a good run at the box-office. This is probably why the makers are now insisting on targeting a larger share of audience with these ‘children’s films’. Gupte pitches Stanley Ka Dabba as the victory of the human spirit.

However, despite efforts to bridge the gap, children’s films still are few and far in between. The star-driven industry in India is to be blamed for it to a large extent. Unless we have Shah Rukh Khan playing a 10-year-old, it is difficult to bring audiences to the theatre. This is one of the reasons why studios shy away from backing kid-centric projects.”

There are other practical problems too. When children act in films, the shooting schedules are worked around their vacation. Gupte shot on Saturdays. “We shot for 76 days, all on Saturdays at Holy Family School in Andheri,” says Gupte, who handled the shoot like a workshop and then edited it into a full-fledged film. The child stars might be positioned as family entertainers in the new scheme of things, but they are still not treated as par with regular Bollywood actors. Their pay packet varies between Rs 25-75 lakh depending on their saleability and popularity.

Dismal marketing and lack of platforms remain major concerns too, threatening to scuttle the efforts to reinvent this genre. However, things are looking with major studios such as Fox offering their support. A known name always helps a movie sell. With studios backing these, it looks like the audience will also digest the newer genres.


source: Indian express

Amole Gupte makes film out of children's workshop

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Guys check out the Stanley Ka Dabba article on IBNlive...

Cheers,

Stanley