A different shot

Nitin Das’ film, Magic Feather, brings together seven fictional narratives from the city’s underbelly and casts children who have seen it up close.

These protagonists are not portrayed as society’s underdogs or victims but as achievers in their own right. This is precisely what sets apart Nitin Das’ Magic Feather, a 90-minute feature-length film, which links seven stories starring children from seven city-based NGOs and shelters.

The film has been shot over two years across city slums, predominantly Dharavi. “The slums of Mumbai are home to more than a million children. And though, these children may not be rich in material terms, they are very rich in love, friendship and talent,” says Das, director of Magic Feather and an IIM-Lucknow alumnus, who quit his well-paying corporate job to do socially relevant cinema.

Whether it’s Netaji, a story of Durga and her naari sena (women’s army); Bomb’ay, a thriller in which two street magicians, Raju and Kaju, stop a gang of terrorists; or Cricket Match, where captain Vijay leads his team to victory in an inter-basti 20:20 against reigning champions — all seven films, though fictional, draw heavily from the lives of children belonging to society’s underbelly.

“The stories are not about poverty, misery or hunger; rather they take you to an unusual world through the eyes of children. They show you that even in the darkest times, it is possible to find happiness, friendship and hope,” says Das, who prefers fiction over the documentary format. Fiction, he feels, has a wider reach.
Magic Feather can be viewed on www.magicfeather.filmkaar.com for Rs100. It can also be downloaded for Rs200, and 25 per cent of the resultant revenue will be used to support children in vulnerable situations with help from NGOs.

Prerana, an NGO that works for the welfare of prostitutes and their children, is one of the seven associated NGOs. Preeti Patkar, co-founder, Prerana feels that besides fund-raising, such projects help boost the children’s confidence. “Several filmmakers approach us to document the life of the children living in Mumbai’s red light area. But the very fact that Nitin wanted the children to act in a fictional film that had nothing to do with their real lives, got them excited,” says Patkar, adding, “It’s nice that for a change someone didn’t want to cash in on our children’s saleable tragedies.”

The film has been screened at the Munich Film Festival, select colleges and at a few city venues by the Shamiana short film club. “The film has got a fantastic response at the screenings. Magic Feather’s beauty is that it is not dark and preachy, yet succeeds in establishing an emotional connect,” says Cyrus Dastur, founder, Shamiana.

Nirmal Chandappa, director, Community Outreach Programme (CORP), working in the area of women and child development, feels that the proceeds will help the organisation do even more for women and the underprivileged girls in slums.

“I was happy to bag the lead role and wear the neta topi. Acting in front of so many people also increased my confidence level,” says Tejal, lead of Durga. “I am glad that we fight for women’s emancipation in the film,” adds Bharti, another actor in Durga, who is happy that her friend played the role of a politician “just like our President, Pratibha Patil.” Both, Tejal, 15, and Bharti, 17, live at Sharanam, a girl’s shelter home in Dharavi, a CORP project.

Das took six months to select the lead actors for each of the seven films, and thereafter, the team conducted theatre workshops to train them as they had never faced the arc lights before. “Whether it is a 30-second ad or a 90-minute feature-length film, the idea is to get the message across in an engaging and innovative manner,” says the filmmaker, who has been awarded by the British Council for creative entrepreneurship in the social sector.