Back in the 90s, summer vacations meant playing, getting hurt, mangoes and the occasional, well-planned movie outing with the family. We have all had the immortal experience of reaching out our hands while watching My Dear Kuttichaathan in 3D, don’t we? These summer films went on to be hits and have remained fresh in our memories.
But it has been a long time since an out-and-out kids’ film has hit the theatres. We do have films that have children as their central characters — but rather than being fun or innocuous — they present the story from the point of view of elders, and send out preachy messages (Kaaka Muttai being an erstwhile exception). Add to this the surge of Hollywood animated flicks that give the kids exactly what they want, and this has culminated in a severe dip for the genre in Tamil cinema.
Halitha Shameem, who helmed the children’s film Poovarasam Peepee, says, “It’s been a while since a fun, children’s film has come out. Even Poovarasam Peepee for that matter was not a film exclusively for children. But now, any horror comedy is called a children’s film! Motta Rajendran and his ilk of comedians are considered as artistes who appeal to children. There used to be filmmakers like Rama Narayanan sir, who included animals in films to bring in children to theatres. We need people like that again.”
She adds that not many producers are not willing to revive this genre due to market risks. “Also, producers are not keen on taking up projects like these, as Hollywood films already have a strong foothold in this genre,” she opines.
Actress Meena was the darling of every household as a child artiste. Who can forget her adorable performance in the children’s film Anbulla Rajinikanth? Now, it’s her daughter Nainika who is wowing us with her cute antics. Ask her about the topic, and she replies, saying, “I guess while business and markets do play a role, we must also think about the various options that children have to keep themselves engaged.”
Back then, we had only films and television. Today, there are summer camps, theatre, co-curricular activities and much more. Even TV has so much content for children, so I don’t think anyone sees the need for children’s films,” explains Meena. Although, the actress would be more than happy if Nainika gets the opportunity to act in such a project — “She has another child artiste for company in the film Bhaskar Oru Rascal, and she is having a whale of a time on sets. She would love to do a full-blown children’s film!”
Film analyst Dr Uma Vangal asserts that Kollywood has never really explored the genre to its fullest. “Very rarely do we have Tamil films that are made exclusively for children and My Dear Kuttichaathan is probably the only exception. This is because as a society, we tend to be ideology-driven and it is tough for us to make films for kids that are not preachy.” She adds that the demographics of theatre going audience and the psyche of children have changed drastically, leading to the dearth of such films.
“A major chunk of the audience that frequents theatres is either young single males or couples. The family going on an outing to watch a film has shifted towards the TV. Thanks to easy access to adult content, even children have become more mature that they don’t need subject matter specifically made for them. Their attention span has become very narrow — so only if there is something happening in every scene of the film — are they invested in it. A film like Baahubali would engage them, but even if there is a single dull moment in a kids’ film, they lose interest!”
Actor Sree Ram, a National Award winner for his performance in the children’s film Pasanga, says that not many directors understand the pulse of children. “Pasanga was a golden opportunity, and it worked because kids who watched it could relate to it easily. But others who try to recreate it, build the story from their perspective and that’s where they fail.”
He also says that the very mood on sets is different when it is a kids’ film — something that he misses very dearly. “If it’s a supporting role, then it’s hardly two or three days of shoot. But, when we shoot with a whole bunch of kids, it used feel like a picnic spot!”
While it is true that children today are a lot more aware than we were, one has to admit that filmmakers stopped acknowledging children as target audience. We miss the likes of a director like Navodaya Appachan (producer of My Dear Kuttichaathan) who knew both the pulse of the children and the right technology that would draw them. As the industry is caught up between markets and business, it is definitely the children today who are missing out on three hours of pure innocence!
