Pankh

Written and directed by Sudipto Chattopadhyay,
PANKH stars Bipasha Basu,
Lilette Dubey, Mahesh Manjrekar, Ronit Roy,
Sanjeeda Sheikh and
newcomers Maradona Rebello
and Amit Purohit.

The film is the story of the repercussions that have happened to a boy - a child artist who once played girl roles in films as Baby Kusum - once he becomes an adult and wants to be launched as a hero. Baby Kusum is a child star, a cute little girl.

In reality, Baby Kusum is boy, masquerading as a girl. He was christened Jerry, and then named Master Jai for the movies. He and his mother Mary share a turbulent relationship. The boy's family is poor and they want to make it big.

The pressure of parents and ridicule make it a very sad situation for him.

He becomes a drug-abuser who has never been to school and spends all his time at home.

Eventually he creates an imaginary character he is in love with, & that imaginary character happens to be Bipasha who taunts him and fights with him, an alter ego who questions his every move. Jerry is made to face the camera again as a young man, which leads to the final catastrophe.

The film highlights the common practice in the India
of casting children in films contrary to their natural gender.

Bipasha's terrific diva look in the film is all thanks to Gavin Miguel & Rocky S.

And newbie Maradona Rebello as Jerry will be remembered for his exuberance and raw charm!

The director has been inspired from a documentary titled 'Children Of The Silver Screen' ( by Dilip Ghosh )

in which child artistes are interviewed as adults and have expressed their trauma.

The protagonist Jerry, always imagines Bipasha (she is called Nandini in the film) to be a diva....

She plays an imaginary character who exists in Jerry's mind.

She is shown as the alter ego of Jerry...... and that's what the average audience has had difficulty associating with.

I saw it at Inox-Swabhumi (earlier 89 Cinemas).....

and the hall was more than 80% empty!!!!:(