Gattu is what the Indian audience needs - A Novel Story!
Director: Rajan Khosa
Producer: Children's Film Society India
Cast: Mohommad Samad, Naresh Kumar
Gattu is a unique film. It is different from every other Hindi fiction tale. It narrates the story of a street urchin with only one dream – to cut off Kaali from the skies of the small town of Roorkee, India. Nobody knows who flies the kite Kaali, and nobody has ever defeated Kaali. Little does he know the lessons life is going to hand him when he sets out to fly his bright red kite, with even brighter yellow lines.
The opening credits follow a sequence of animation stills that show a small boy hiding, opening doors and wearing a smile. Coupled with a soundtrack of a little girl going, ‘Chakachak,’ the film opens with Gattu, the protagonist being hauled by mosquitoes.
Produced by the Children’s Film Society India, the greatest message Gattu sends out is the process of learning to speak the truth! It exemplifies the journey of making comrades in masti and not letting them take the beating alone.
The locations and acting in Gattu couldn’t have been more realistic. With chacha Anees and Gattu conversing in the middle of the night, the garbage boys, the headmaster preaching ‘Satyameva Jayate,’ the caring next-door woman, Minky, Manuj and Honey Singh as duped, partners in crime all fit perfectly with the mood the film establishes. Even the goat, ‘Tiger’ doesn’t seem out of place!
Director Rajan Khosla is a wonderful story teller. He brings out those inane emotions in Mohd Samad, who portrays, an innocent street lad with equal ease.
Naresh Kumar, definitely deserves a pat on his back for being the ‘chacha’ who yells at Gattu, pushes him around and loves him with equal zeal. His conversations with Gattu bring out, what it is like to live in a garbage trap all your life. “Is sheher main paav rakhne ke liye 2 meter zameen kya hoti hain tujhe nahin pata,” (Having 2 meters to sleep in, in a city like this is a lot!) is one of the most insightful messages in the film.
Gattu’s story explains how a boy who cannot read or write, steals a uniform and books in order to go to school, with no intention to study. He wants to make it to the top of the roof of the school – which is where he believes he can defeat ‘Kaali.’ But the process of making it to the classroom and staying there makes him realize how much more verve exists.
Sulaiman his physically challenged, bald friend played impeccably by Mohit and his bond with Gattu, explain children best. The supporting cast comprising of Jayanta Das (Principal) and Vijay Srivastava (Shankar) add veracity to the film.
“Gravity,” when the professor explains, “can be explained using a kite,” and that was all it took to get Gattu hooked on to listening. It is even more enthralling to watch Gattu, explain ‘science’ to his other street buddies while sorting garbage.
The cinematography by Satya Rai Nagpaul, brings out unblemished emotions of what it is to not know your birthday, not know who your parents were and not have anything to look forward to. With a lot of extreme close ups and point of view shots, the film personalizes the story of Gattu to connect with every viewer. Editing by Antara Lahiri, especially in sequences where Gattu is flying the kite, couldn’t have been better.
The special effects in the film are executed in a manner that seems simple yet artistic. The colourful kites fluttering in the wind, held with the ‘maanja’ and their constant conflicting, transport the audience into the art of kite flying, a difficult yet very prevalent pastime in most towns of India. Sandesh Shandilya keeps it very simple with the music. Quick and jumpy when Gattu is kite flying, james-bond like when Gattu has something up his sleeve with only one length of lyrics in the film. The use of ‘Sare Jahaan Se Aacha’ in the film tells its own tale of the Indian education system, its paradox and it’s ambiguity to a small child. It’s deep meaning and it’s subtle message.
This 90 minute film is not for people who are looking for entertainment. It is for people who are looking for closure, people who want to listen to a wonderful story. It is also an inspiration for people who want to tell their story. It is a tale of how ‘Dreams aren’t impossible if the desires are strong’.
With a powerful script and an immediately likeable protagonist, Gattu, opened at the 17th International Children's Film Festival at Hyderabad. This film was held in high regards by critics and film reviewers all over the world. It was also honored with a special mention at the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival.
Original and inspiring, Gattu, is one of those rare Hindi films to win such acclaim. It definitely deserves a huge round of applause.