Orphanage kids enjoy ‘reel’ life acting in 'Dhaaga'

Nagpur: Lives of three kids of Bal Sadan orphanage, Katol, may soon change for the better. Sahil Kene, Ashwini Ladekar and Gagan Gajarlwar’s talent in acting found appreciation and a platform in city filmmaker’s Marathi short-film Dhaaga which is increasingly gaining popularity. The film was screened at the orphanage on Tuesday for all the kids and guests.
Directed by Raj Gupta, the 20 minute film delves into the bond between a brother and sister in a rural set-up.It attempts to showcase the dark side of our society where there are cases of honour killings.
“My movie is not based on the issue, rather, the issue is just a part of an otherwise fun and entertaining film involving children. Without putting it in the limelight, we want the audience to know that the problem is there. My family is from a village, and I understand the emotions hidden in the rural fabric. I wanted to make a film with kids where’s there’s mirth and laughter, family equations and an issue prevalent in such set-up,” said Gupta, adding that he wanted to give kids of Bal Sadan the exposure they need to showcase their talent. Actors Mukund Wasule, and Dr Bhagyashree Chitnis are also part of the cast.
Dhaaga is Gupta’s second short film, made in a duration of three months and a budget of about Rs3.5 lakhs. “We shot the film in Ambhora village in Bhandara, during monsoons. Our biggest challenge was funding and lack of resources in terms of equipment,” Gupta added.
Gupta has sent the film to several movie festivals and said his movie was one of the top ten short films in MAMI and also won a special mention at the recently concluded Delhi International Short Film Festival. The movie will be screened in Melbourne, Australia next month.
Gupta has worked as a script supervisor for movies such as Tanu Weds Manu, Mary Kom, Nautanki Saala and Sonali Cable among other films, and plans to direct a full length Bollywood film next year.
(Reporting by Abha Goradia)