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I am Kalam
a charming film
I am Kalam is an inspirational and heartwarming story of a poor boy who aspires to learn; a young dreamer
determined to rise above his humble roots and carve his own destiny.
The film delivering an important message about children and the importance of education.
I am Kalam is a story of Harsh Mayar (Chhotu), an uneducated but bright young village kid whose
mother drops him off to work at a dhaba owned by an old acquaintance on
the outskirts of a small town in Rajasthan. With his toothy smile and
his affable manners, Chhotu quickly wins the affection of his boss Bhati
( Gulshan Grover) and the foreign tourists who visit the dhaba. In between his daily
responsibilities of washing the dishes and serving the patrons, Chhotu pores over his books, nursing the seemingly
impossible dream of getting an education.
On learning through a television news broadcast that the country's
then-President funded his own schooling by selling newspapers, Chhotu
rechristens himself Kalam and discovers a role model to look up to. He
becomes friends with a rich young prince named Ranvijay (Husaan Saad) who shares his
books with him, and also catches the fancy of a French tourist named Lucy
( Beatrice Ordeix) who offers to take him to Delhi and get him admitted into a school.
I am Kalam film works as much for its intelligent script as it does for its
convincing performances. Pitobash Tripathi is terrific as the envious
Laptan, and Gulshan Grover brings the right mix of humor and feeling to
the part of Bhati. Husaan Saad is a perfect fit as 'poor little rich
kid' Ranvijay, but the film of course belongs to Chhotu. Harsh
Mayar, who won a National Award for his performance in 'I am Kalam' delivers a
wholly believable, endearing performance as the boy who wants more from
life. His smile alone will melt your heart.
Director Nila Madhab Panda gives us a realistic slice of Rajasthan that's hard to find in our
over-styled Hindi films. Script by Sanjay Chauhan.
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Chillar Party
Chillar Party is a party of
an interesting assortment of kids. The children film's Directors
are Vikas Bahl and Nitesh Tiwari, Producers UTV and Salman Khan,
Actors are Rohan Grover, Sanath Menon, Naman Jain, Vedant Desai etc.
The interesting nick names of child actors are Shaolin,
Silencer, Panauti and Encyclopedia in a housing society in Mumbai.
This group of children takes on a local leader Bhide who is
on a mission to build a ‘bhay-mukta Mumbai’ (fearless Mumbai)
by chasing all stray dogs out of the boundaries of the city. On
his target happens to be Bhidu, the favourite pet of the Chillar
Party, and a harmless stray animal. So there is a Bhide versus
Bhidu in the film and who emerges victorious is anyone’s guess.
There are gangs of colony kids, there are galli cricket
matches, hostility giving way to friendship, smart pranks and
fooling around; all that regular stuff that belongs to
children’s films. But one has no clue where is all that leading
until the interval. The real plot begins only post interval by
when one has already begun losing interest in the film. However,
the second half moves fast and has enough twists and turns with
adrenaline rush to bring one back into the film and capture
one’s attention till the end. How the kids succeed in bringing
about a change of heart in the adults and eventually getting bhidu,
the dog an NOC to stay in their society becomes an engaging ride.
Chillar Party is actually as an enjoyable and
educating children’s film. This film is with quite a few lessons
in moral science, kindness, care, loyalty and
co-existence. In fact, the entire sequence which acts as the
climax of the battle between the politician and the kids is fought
with moral science books
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