Railway Children

Once in a while you stumble upon a movie or a book that makes you think no matter who you are...think about what you have taken for granted ... Railway Children is a discourse on our sensibilities that are attuned to the projection of material life around... it makes you question about the realities and look at the world with someone else's eye.. and makes you go home thinking.. brilliant performance by the actors ...and hats off to the director for the experiment...

Has got entertainment and enlightenment to offer for children, parents alike. a sincere product from the team. with a blend of humour and frankness of a docmntary, the film has suggestions on many social issues.

Runaway children in India are on an equal footing with orphans, with nobody to help and many to allure and abuse these children end up in the whirlwind of crime and mafia. Living on the Railway Platform these kids have to overcome such odds as addiction, abuse, deceit. 'Railway Children' a Kannada feature film produced by Tindrum Beats through crowd funding and directed by Prithvi Konanur unwinds the world of runaway children through the eyes of Raju, a 10-year-old runaway and his partner in crime Jollu. Both being recruited by a local goon and a cruel boss Solution. Exploring the themes of crime, drugs, corruption, sexual violence, abuse, addiction and particularly untouched trans-gender issues. The movie is approached in a documentary style being inspired by real life events and based on a research book "Rescuing Railway Children", by Lalitha Iyer and Malcolm Harper. Unlike many Prithvi navigates the story realistically as opposed to just being emotional. This realistic approach further helps the audience to understand the situation of these children and the help they get or the lack of it. 2/3rd of the movie is shot on Railway platforms and cinematography of Eswaran Thangavel is commendable. With an on cue music by Chandan Shetty and unforgettable performance by child artists Manohar and Parimala, ending on a positive note this gem is not to be missed.

The heart-wrenching tale of young runaways in India. Every 5 minutes a runaway child arrives at a big city by train. This film could easily have been a documentary and is an unfortunately accurate depiction of life for these youngsters.

Every child has a story whether they have run away to escape abuse, poverty or neglect, they dream of a better life in the city but the cities are more dangerous than the lives they left behind.

This tells the tale of one such child 'Raju' who is left with little alternative but to join a street gang organised by an abusive Fagin type character. The kids forage through bins and empty trains. Most are addicted to sniffing glue.

The dangers are everywhere, whether it be rival gangs, drug dealers or paedophiles. Raju makes a new friend in Shivu and together they enlist the help of a former bully to try and strike out on their own. All appears to be going well until their boss finds out.

The story is slow-moving but compelling and there is an interesting twist I never saw coming.

On a footnote: The Railway Children of India is a charitable organisation that gives these kids temporary shelter whilst making efforts to reunite them with their parents.

When people complain about the plights of Kannada film industry, still lagging in comparison with the neighbouring film industries, comes film makers like Prithvi Konanur with Railway Children. Railway Children isn't a children's film. It has a solid storyline which incorporates various social stigmas like drug abuse amongst children, child labour and harassment in various ways towards children. The film leaves you spellbound with no loose ends. The climax is just mind boggling and highly effective. Yes, sometimes the bgm seems a little cranky, though it nowhere kills the essence. But don't miss it. It's worth every penny you pay and more. And of course, the picture posted in IMDb is a testament to the claims above. All the best team Railway Children.