Juvenile offenders in Mumbai tell their tales via short films

Using their life experience as a script, juvenile offenders in the city will be given a chance to tell their stories via the film medium.

As part of its crime prevention and rehabilitation programme for children and adolescents in conflict with the law, a city-based non governmental organisation (NGO) Aangan Trust has equipped the budding artistes with basic knowledge and the tools of filmmaking.

The result of this creative exercise is three short films: Jaan, Shaan and Imaan (Love, Pride and Honour) which will be screened on Wednesday, at Mehboob Studios, Bandra.

The Aangan Trust has also roped in several Bollywood writers and directors, including Kiran Rao, Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane and Vijay Krishna Acharya to interact with the kids.

"Children in conflict with the law rarely have a voice. And it is a lesser known fact that most of them are victims of abuse, neglect, violence and exclusion," says Shailja Mehta, trustee and director of Aangan Trust.

"The filmmaking programme seeks to channelise the kids' emotions and energy towards constructive pursuits, while teaching them life skills such as responsibility, money management and the effective use of limited resources."

The young filmmakers, who underwent film training for nearly three months, scouted for actors and technicians from their respective communities. After the films were complete, they were screened for a 100-strong audience in Aangan's youth centres. 

"With the help of volunteers for post-production and sound, the films were reworked into screenable quality," says Mehta.