Novel film themes to inspire youth

 

The fourteen-year-old student who is charged with killing his teacher Uma Maheshwari on Feburary 9 is said to have been inspired by the Hindi film Agneepath. Perhaps, realising the impact that films have on young minds, film-makers are now toying with fresh themes that promise a change for the better in terms of managing the young.

Following the stupendous success of the remake of 3 Idiots in Tamil titled Nanban, actor Prakash Raj's debut venture Dhoni delivers what is just needed for a shocked society now — a message that children ought to be allowed to pursue their dreams.

Ironically, Dhoni is all about a 14-year old boy who wants to become a cricketer while his father Prakash Raj wants him to become an MBA degree holder.

Even while announcing his decision to debut as director through Dhoni, Prakash Raj said the film would deal with the 'pressure that children undergo these days in the school.'

The release of Dhoni could not have been more appropriately timed. The film opened to critical acclaim on February 10, a day after the murder happened.

"If Agneepath had a negative impact on a kid's mind, films like Nanban and Dhoni will definitely have the right kind of impact on the minds of adults. In fact, it is adults who have got to learn a lot," says Bala Murali, an assistant director.

Nanban, which released on Pongal day, also deals with the system of education in the country.

"Films like Dhoni and Nanban take a critical look at our system. A system of education should be able to produce upright individuals. But ours churn out clerk after clerk. We need more number of such films to make people realise that the fault is with the system and not with the children who are unable to cope," says D.I. Aravindan, a film critic and father of two children.

Like actor Vijay tells his friends in Nanban, if Tendulkar's father had wanted him to be a music director or if A.R. Rahman's father had wanted him to be a cricketer, neither would have been successful. Those words were not meant just for the 'other two idiots' in the film.