A first Look at Film Jhalki: A tale of a tireless sparrow

#Jhalki, #India, #BrahmanandSSiingh, #bondedlabor, #Toronto, #Canada

Toronto, Sep 20 (Canadian-Media):  A First Look Launch worldwide of the film Jhalki, a moving tale of lost childhood, was presented by Brahmanand S Siingh, the director of the film, and his team, on September 9 at Aanch Restaurant in downtown Toronto, Ontario.​

Brahmanand S Siingh (right) & Tanvi Jain (left)

Siingh, an award-winning filmmaker (producer-director) and writer, has presented in this film a lyrical story encompassing the environment of bonded child labor in India.

According to an official report, today one in every seven child is a laborer and over 200 million children between ages five and 14 work worldwide as some kind of laborer or other.

"Jhalki is a mirror to our society … and draws our attention to a social malaise that many aren’t even aware of … Children are trafficked, put into forced labor … when what they long for 24x7 is to return to their family, said Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Prize laureate, founder of Save Childhood Movement.

The film stars Boman Irani, Sanjay Suri, Divya Dutta, Tanishtha Chatterjee, Govind Namdev, Joy Sengupta, Akhilendra Mishra, Bachan Pachera and  Kailash Satyarthi as a special appearance.

Produced by Brahmanand S Siingh & Annand Chavan, the film is co-produced by Vinayak Gawande & Jayesh Parekh & co-directed by Tanvi Jain.

The story of the film is about the search of a nine year-old girl, Jhalki for her seven year-old brother, Babu.  

Jhalki

Like innumerable other kids from her village, one day, Babu is traded-off in a very unlikely situation for the family.

The film reveals the agony of a seven year-old Babu, who was used to fun and freedom in spite of the existing poverty.






















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The happy and carefree childhood of Jhalki and Babu

Suddenly he finds himself thrown into an inhuman world of child labor in a terminally gloomy, dark and depressing workplace of one of the carpet weaving factories of india.

​After getting no clue of the whereabouts of Babu, Jhalki's love for her brother compels her to follow her own instincts to take on a strenuous journey in search of Babu.

In spite of the bureaucracy, corruption and exploitation, that she faces during her journey, Jhalki, compared to a tireless sparrow that gets her lost grain of food back for her children, does not give up.

With her presence of mind and strong determination, she is able to free Babu along with thousands of other children caught in the vicious trap.

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Trailer of the film Jhalki

"Jhalki’s journey is a journey of hope, of confidence, and of self-belief … Jhalki’s struggle is a relentless process of overcoming the odds and of looking for solutions … in a way that even the most ordinary citizen may feel inspired to fight (against these prevalent practices) and emerge triumphant!" said  Satyarthi.

Kailash Satyarthi. Image credit: Facebook page​

​The film keeps spectators spellbound like in a bedtime folk story and towards the end of the story fully revolutionises them to participate in the movement that can impact 200 million children worldwide.

The film Jhalki will be released in India in February 2019.

Siingh, based out of Mumbai and recipient of many awards is best acclaimed for his films like Kaagaz Ki Kashti, a biopic on legendary ghazal maestro Jagjit Singh and his National-Award winning feature-length documentary on RD Burman, Pancham Unmixed: Mujhe Chalte Jaana Hai.

All his films are highly recognised for their sensitivity, authenticity and engaging quality and draw great response.  He has also set out to create exciting Biopics on many contemporary and historical icons of India who have inspired our lives and leave a legacy for the future.

Siingh's insightful, exploring and reflective dimensions in the subjects that excite him, delivers its core essence in a captivating manner.

(Reporting by Asha Bajaj)

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