Little Terrorist

A boy and his friends playing cricket. The ball is out of Pakistan border. The boy decides to take it. But it is not so simple.

The help of a school teacher saves him by Indian border guards looking for a presumed terrorist. The care for boy from venerable man and his niece are the axis of this admirable crafted short film, wise in each aspect, reminding a not so comfortabe reaity, provocative for references to the situation behind apparitian of Pakistan and ended with the most moving scenes to can imagine.

A manifesto ? No doubts, indeed. But the tone defines it because it has the precious gift to create, after its final credits, profound gratitude about director and actors.

Little Terrorist is one of those Post-9-11 films that draws a lot of media attention in the west, thanks to the T-word.

Other such films include Kandahar and Osama, which employs the equally controversial O-word. But the similarities end there.

Kandahar and Osama are vastly superior films on all accounts.

LT has a vaguely interesting, if clichéd premise - a reworking of No Man's Land, which interestingly ended up winning an Oscar. No such luck here. But I digress.

LT's main problem is the heavy-handed execution of its ideology.

The film has its moments, but they are few and far between.

The best thing here is Meghna Mehta who embodies the spirited village belle Rani really well.

No Lilliput this Terrorist!

Little Terrorist Written & Directed by- Ashvin Kumar Cast- Julfuqar Ali, Sushil Sharma and Megnaa Mehtta. Rating- ****

It is interesting to note that in a country that produces nearly a thousand films in a calendar year, most of them with running times over 150 minutes; it was a clever 15 minute feature by a relatively unknown film-maker that made the final list at the Oscar 2005! Writer-editor-director and producer Ashvin Kumar's short 'Little Terrorist' is one of those movies that make a point, and a global one at that, without trying to be pretentious. Indeed, there are moments when you think that the movie is actually unaware of the emphatic statement that it is making.

Jamal(Julfuqar Ali) is a 10 year old Pakistani boy who unwittingly crosses over into the Indian border while chasing a ball during a game of cricket. Suspected as a terrorist, Jamal is helped, reluctantly at first, by Bhola(Sushil Sharma)- an orthodox Hindu. Bhola gives him shelter and food, and eventually goes out of his way to safely lead the boy back home. It is this victory of humanity over the exterior differences of caste, country and ideology that touches a chord instantly. Aided by some beautiful Rajasthani compositions, Ashvin manages to create a poignant picture of compassion which permeates dissimilarities. Ashvin has a keen eye for noticing humour in pathos, a quality similar to that of Samira Makhmalbaf(Blackboards). The bittersweet remedy that Bhola's daughter(Megnaa Mehtta) suggests to hide Jamal's identity from the Indian soldiers or Jamal's private laughter at the climax are some of the humane colours that Ashvin paints against the backdrop of the rustic Rajasthan.

In what is a brilliant marketing idea, Ashvin Kumar has tied with Shyam Shroff of Shringar distributors and has made the film available to a large audience. At various multiplexes the film is being shown at the beginning of the regular shows, at no extra cost. And 'Little Terrorist' deserves to be seen by an audience, especially in the wake of the many terrorist events that have affected nations in the last few years.

Ashvin Kumar mentioned in an interview that 'Little Terrorist' is a portfolio-building film for him. Well suffice to say, look out for his big screen debut with Irrfan Khan and Boman Irani!

• Abhishek Bandekar

Note- 'Little Terrorist' is nominated at this year's Academy Awards for the Best Short Film- Live Action.

Rating- ****

* Poor ** Average *** Good **** Very Good ***** Excellent

This is an exceptional Indian film--especially since it is so timely. Because it is such a standout film it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short.

The film begins with some Pakistani boys playing cricket along the heavily mined Indian border. Unwisely, a little boy runs into the minefield to retrieve the ball and the border guards mistake him for a terrorist. Now, unable to go back to his country, he hides among the rocks until a school teacher happens upon him. The teacher sees the kid's plight and disguises him as his nephew to keep him safe until he can be returned home.

The film is exceptional because it not only puts a face on "the enemy" but because it shows that despite international squabbles, there is decency everywhere. Considering how bloody the wars have been between these two countries, I was actually surprised that the Indians would so humanize a Pakistani boy--making it a film that anyone could enjoy since its message is universal.

When his cricket ball crosses into no-mans land on the heavily mined India/Pakistan border, the young "Jamal" (an engaging effort from Julfuqar Ali) tries to retrieve it - at peril to his life! Pretty soon, a pair of Indian soldiers are chasing him and he has to hide amongst the rocks whilst a local teacher "Bhola" (Sushil Sharma) is questioned by his pursuers who claim their fugitive looked like just about anything but a small boy clad in bright red. The kindly man takes him under his wing and to his village where the youngster encounters his daughter who is initially reluctant to get involved before hitting on a clever idea for him to avoid those searching! What now ensues sees the boy briefly exposed to the neighbouring - pretty much identical - culture before they try to retrace his steps and get him back home to the safety of his mother. It's a simple story that clearly wants to point out the futility of the fences, minefields and the soldiers enforcing boundaries that exist on maps only. The people on either side just want to co-exist in peace and harmony, largely wishing to reserve their animosity solely for the cricket pitch.