Understanding child artistes

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, NOV. 17. Child artistes are a pampered lot. The stars in their eyes refuse to fade away. Are they birds in a cage ? Is their's a case of lost innocence ? Do they turn into spoilt brats? Academics or film career ? Which is more important for child artistes?

These were some of the pertinent points raised by children at an open forum organised by the Children's Film Society as a part of the 12th International Children's Film festival here on Saturday.

"They can get spoilt very easily. The sudden rise to stardom makes them vain. Even the parents become overzealous trying to promote their wards. Filmmakers should never regard child artistes as actors. If we do so, that will be the biggest damage to them," the Sri Lankan filmmaker, Mr. Somaratne Dissanayake, said.

"Education is the basic right of children so that they do not lag behind in life. Everything else is secondary, even films," the Iranian filmmaker and a child artiste herself during the 80s, Mrs. Leila Mirhadi, affirmed. It is imperative that the child was first allowed to develop intellectually.

"We instill the relevance of education in our child artistes in a big way," the filmmaker from Iran, the cradle for many a poignant children's film laced with rare sensitivity, explained. "Even on the sets, the filmmakers provide for a teacher to ensure that their studies are not affected."

Mr. Dissanayake who made the path breaking movie, "Saroja" about a Tamilian and a Sinhalese girl striving to keep alive their friendship in the midst of violence and warfare in Sri Lanka, says filmmakers must understand the children before working with them. "Filmmakers themselves should become children and sing and play with them," he said.

Children after all are children first. And actors later. Education for them is everything, the integral element for their better tomorrow.

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Section  : Southern States
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