Mahek (film)

Mahek
Directed by	Kranti Kanade
Produced by	Children's Film Society, India
Written by	Kranti Kanade Kedar Dharwadkar
Starring	Shreya Sharma Madan Deodhar Anuya Bhagwat Lalan Sarang Anuja Borkar Dhiresh Joshi
Music by	Mathieu Lamboley
Cinematography	Mrinal Desai
Editing by	Suchitra Sathe
Running time	80 min.
Country	India
Language	Hindi & English

Mahek (2007) is an award winning Indian film by writer-director Kranti Kanade. It was produced by the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI). It is included in the University syllabus at the Otterbein College, US as part of their India studies. Mario Miranda has done the titles for this film.

Story and the character

11-yr old Mahek dreams of becoming the very best at everything, but is unsure of how to achieve her goals. To complicate things further, an old, magic-less Modern Fairy enters her life. Will Mahek ever realize her true strength? Like any eleven year old, Mahek Mirza is a daydreamer and an ambitious one at that. But that doesn't help the little failures she faces in real life. She dreams of being India's first female President while she is losing her class elections. She wants to win an award for bravery saving a classmate but ends up being saved from drowning herself. She always loses to her father in chess. To complicate matters, she meets an old lady claiming to be a modern fairy. She asks Mahek to probe herself, to find that one thing she loves and could be good at; Imitating others will not help. She subtly tries to un-condition the little girl. But Mahek doesn't know where to begin.

Inspiration

It came from Kranti's own life. About the childhood he couldn't have. A pure lack of philosophical and spiritual input. Insensitive teachers and every kind of pressure to win and succeed. A child's uniqueness, his ideas, are not respected. He also wanted to document the socio-eco-cultural changes in India from a child's perspective. A growing gap between the rich and the poor in cities. He chose to tell a story of a girl because he always missed having a sister while growing up and this was his chance to have one.

Production

The entire shoot and post was done in Pune. The main Hindi film industry is based in Mumbai and it is generally considered that if you want to make a film, you must go there. The script was written by Kranti and his co-writer was Kedar Dharwadkar. Associate Director Matthias Schwelm from Germany handled the entire production. However, the search for the lead character caused the film's shooting to be delayed by three months. Finally Shreya Sharma (The Blue Umbrella) from Shimla fit the role. The gifted children cast didn't need to be directed at all and often the first take would be approved. Shot on 35mm in a quiet residential area in Bavdhan area of Pune, it had sync sound and no dubbing.

Crew

The entire crew was FTII alumnus who subsequently did noted work. Mrinal Desai, the DOP, was the second unit director of photography on Oscar winner Slumdog Millionaire. Sound designer Anmol Bhave won National Award for award winning marathi films 'Gandh' and 'Gabhricha Paus'. Editor Suchitra Sathe also did 'Gabhricha Paus'. Music composer Mathieu Lamboley composed music in Paris. Sound mixing was done by Subir Das and Anup Dev.

Reception

It premiered at the London Film Festival to affectionate reviews. It was invited to over thirty film festivals worldwide including Chicago, Munich, Sprockets Toronto, St Louis, Cleveland, winning awards in Hollywood and Houston. It was nominated for the Best Children's Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Australia. It is included in the University syllabus at the Otterbein College, US as part of their India studies.

Reviews

Some reviews of Mahek include:

• British Film Institute - "An inspiring family film from India".
• Sprockets Toronto Film Festival - "The film celebrates imagination, self-confidence and perseverance."
• Maithili Rao, Frontline - "A rare combination of sensitivity and gentle humour."
• Rachel Dwyer, University of London - "Totally delightful."
• Cleveland Film Festival, USA -"Gem of a film."
• St Louis Film Festival, USA - "Beautifully filmed with a nice eye for color and very funny."
• Syracuse New Times, New York - "Certainly matches Truffaut’s cinematic spirit."

In the press

• Business Line - Cinematic Kranti! ^[1]
• Frontline - Reality and dreams: Review by Maithili Rao^[2]
• Hindustan Times - A philosopher and a filmmaker^[3]
• Outlook - A new filmmaker on the horizon^[4]
• Indian Express - Imagery of childhood^[5]
• Mahek's first screening in India^[6]
• Interview with Kranti Kanade^[7]
• Indian children's film win accolades in Houston^[8]

References

1. ^ Sumithra Thangavelu (6 June 2008). "Cinematic Kranti!". The Hindu. http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/life/2008/06/06/stories/2008060650100400.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-23. 
2. ^ Maithili Rao (25 October 2008). "Reality and dreams". Frontline, Hindustan Times. http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl2522/stories/20081107252209100.htm. Retrieved 2009-05-24. 
3. ^ Pravin Donthi (28 June 2008). "A philosopher and a filmmaker". Hindustan Times. http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=1554c5c1-65c2-4699-9caf-8ebd2601f7c7. Retrieved 2009-05-24. 
4. ^ Vijay Vedala (6 July 2008). "A new film-maker on the horizon". Outlookindia.com. http://www.outlookindia.com/pti_news.asp?id=586279. Retrieved 2009-05-24. 
5. ^ "Imagery of childhood". The Indian Express. 30 April 2008. http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/imagery-of-childhood/303356/. Retrieved 2009-05-23. 
6. ^ Tanvi Salkar (24 October 2008). "The fragrance spreads". The Indian Express. http://www.expressindia.com/story_print.php?storyId=377381. Retrieved 2009-05-23. 
7. ^ "Interview with Kranti Kanade - Director of Mahek". Navtarangam. 23 May 2008. http://navatarangam.com/2008/05/interview-with-kranti-kanade-director-of-mahek/. Retrieved 2009-05-23. 
8. ^ "Indian children's films win accolades in Houston". Indiantelevision.com. 25 April 2008. http://www.indiantelevision.com/aac/y2k8/aac288.php. Retrieved 2009-05-23.