SOCIETAL OBLIGATION TO RELIEVE THE DESTITUTE

Norman Vincent Peale, the American author wrote: “Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.” Success though demands more. Flying high calls for drive ‘n determination; passion ‘n persistence; and, effort, energy ‘n enthusiasm. Privilege surely eases the endeavor.

“ಕೇರ್ ಓಫ್ ಫುಟ್ಪಾತ್” (‘Care of Footpath’), is a 2006 Kannada film that explores the challenges of the under-privileged. It was dubbed into Hindi, Odia, Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil and English. The social drama won scores of film awards, including the national award for ‘Best Children’s Film’; it was critically applauded too.

An orphaned slum boy, affectionately called as Slummu (Master Kishan), is adopted by an old lady who finds him abandoned on the pavement. The boy becomes a rag-picker. One day, a bunch of school children ridicule him. Being called an uneducated brute in derision offends and perturbs Slummu, who now vows to get educated.

An uphill battle, no doubt, for the kid.

But then, the self-motivated boy moves heaven and earth to get admission into school. The rest of the story is about the remarkable drive, resolve and sedulity that the child demonstrates to achieve his aspirations.

Written and directed by the then world's youngest movie director, Kishan Shrikanth, the social drama is a touching tale of what marginal sections of society endure in everyday life. For a tween to direct as well as Kishan has, it is remarkable.

The screenplay is reasonably tight and quick in its pace. The soundtrack is nothing to write home about. Technical aspects of the film are amateurish for sure.

As the child protagonist, Master Kishan has delivered a performance that is packed with vim, verve and vigor. B Jayashree, Tara, Mukhyamantri Chandru and others have supported well. Sudeep and Jackie Shroff in their cameos are part of the surprise package.

I rate this family film, a social drama replete with realism: 7.0 on 10!