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Blind faith in the divine is always something people turn to when in need, yet sometimes that faith can be quite misplaced. Director Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak has shed light on this practice where the two children Chotu and Pari encounter a religious phoney Shira Mata on their life-changing journey to meet their idol and get Chotu’s eyesight back.

Shira Mata, played by the veteran actress Vibha Chibber, seems to be a hilarious take-off on a popular Indian self-styled God-woman who was recently in the news for her loud appearance, connections to Bollywood stars and even bigger claims of preaching the ways of God. By the looks of it, Dhanak also treads on the same path as previous satirical comedies Oh My God! and Pk which tackled the sensitive and controversial topic of blatant misuse and commercialization of religion.

This short promo from the film depicts one such ‘pure...

Nagesh Kukunoor’s directorial Dhanak which releases on 17th June 2016 revolves around the story of siblings Chotu and Pari played by child actors Krrish Chhabria and Hetal Gada respectively. Shot in the beautiful locales of Rajasthan, Dhanak is a perfect blend of culture and relationships, be it between the siblings or the bonds they form with the strangers they meet along their journey. The connection the children share on and off screen makes for Dhanak to be an interesting film to look out for!

Here are five Bollywood films with children as protagonists that have created magic on screen in the past:

Stanley Ka Dabba: Amol Gupte’s debut film starring his son Partho has all the makings of a masterpiece! The film deals with food in a very sensitive yet delicious way and the visuals are enough to make anyone fall in love with the movie. The film explores themes like sharing,...

Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak has been sending out ripples across B-town with its heartwarming storyline, adorable leads and the scenic beauty of Rajasthan. Recently, the makers of the film held a screening for a thousand underprivileged kids at PVR Priya, New Delhi, in association with PVR Nest, the Csr wing of India’s biggest cinema company, PVR Limited.

Dhanak revolves around the story of siblings Chotu, a blind yet feisty boy, and his loving sister Pari and the bond they share. The journey of the two kids across the intimidating yet breathtaking deserts of Rajasthan, to regain Chotu’s eyesight and meet their idol is a fun yet emotional watch for the audiences.

And from the look of it these children from an Ngo enjoyed the movie to their heart’s content, specially the delightful songs!

Dhanak has been written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, and stars Krrish Chhabria and...

Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak has been creating quite a buzz with its heartwarming story and adorable performances by the two children Chotu and Pari. Going by the trailer, the growing popularity of this movie is palpable! We got a sneak preview of Pari’s love for Srk in the first trailer and her faith in her superstar Shah Rukh Khan that he would help restore Chotu’s eyesight.

However with the new promo of the movie, the audiences witness a twist in the tale. Pari’s adorable little brother is revealed to be a hardcore Salman Khan fan! The proof of which we observed in the moments from the promo where Chotu is seen wearing the trademark Salman bracelet, hugging Salman’s movie poster and ranting his name just to muffle his sister’s praise for the King Khan.

The rivalry between Salman and Shahrukh supporters has always created a...

Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak has been creating quite a buzz with its heartwarming story and adorable performances by the two children Chotu and Pari. Going by the trailer the growing popularity of this movie is palpable! We got a sneak preview of Pari’s love for Srk in the first trailer and her faith in her superstar Shahrukh Khan that he would help them solve their crisis.

However with the new promo of the movie out, the audiences witness a twist in the tale. Pari’s adorable little brother is revealed to be a hardcore Salman Khan fan! The proof of which we observed in the moments from the promo where Chotu is seen wearing the trademark Salman bracelet, hugging Salman’s movie poster and ranting his name just to muffle his sister’s praise for the King Khan.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QP_mpqcJn8Q

The rivalry between...

The trailer of Nagesh Kukunoor’s highly anticipated film Dhanak has garnered tremendous buzz among audiences and film buffs. The film stars two young actors, Hetal Gada and Krrish Chhabria, essaying the roles of Pari and Chotu, who are complete show-stealers as they set out on a beautiful journey to meet their hero, Shah Rukh Khan.

However, as a lot of fans have noticed, Chotu is seen wearing a certain silver bracelet in Dhanak’s poster and trailer – a bracelet that is famously worn and considered a lucky charm by another Bollywood superstar! Needless to say, this has generated a lot of curiosity among audiences. So, is there a fun twist in this tale of innocence and hope?

Director Nagesh Kukunoor isn’t spilling the beans yet. “Let’s just say that every brother-sister bond, no matter how loving, has some point of rivalry – and Chotu and Pari have a very interesting one.

Nagesh Kukunoor’s Dhanak is a heartwarming story of the unconditional love between two siblings, who are traveling the deserts of Rajasthan to fulfill their fandom dream of meeting Shah Rukh Khan. The movie trailer recently crossed 1 million views on YouTube channel and the first song was a huge hit.

We now have a brand new song from the film titled ‘Jeene Se Bhi Zyada’. Nagesh Kukunoor is known for including heartfelt music in his movies and ‘Jeene Se Bhi Zyada’ is no exception, it is a soulful anthem of optimism and hope!

Sung by Shivam Pathak and composed by Tapas Relia with lyrics by Manoj Yadav, this chirpy and happy number gives out a very positive message about not giving up in life and chasing your dreams, reflecting the core theme of Dhanak. Nagesh Kukunoor ability to beautifully capture the bond between Chotu and Pari reflects in the official...

Nagesh Kukunoor’s internationally-acclaimed and much-awaited film Dhanak will now release on June 17th. With Dhanak, the noted filmmaker completes his human-trilogy after his award-winning films Dor and Iqbal, that captivated the hearts of the audiences with their simple yet heartwarming stories. With the touching emotional bond between a brother and sister at its core, Dhanak too is an enchanting fable that reinforces the belief that life is beautiful.

Having garnered worldwide acclaim and several international awards, Dhanak, produced by Drishyam Films, revolves around the eight-year old visually-impaired boy Chotu and his 10-year-old sister Pari, who has promised her younger brother, that he will be able to see by the time he turns nine. Cheerful, spirited and cheeky, Chotu is the life of his small village in Rajasthan, while Pari is his eyes and his best friend. One fine day, Pari sees a poster of Shahrukh Khan (Srk) appealing to people to donate their eyes,...

Filmmaker Nagesh Kukunoor has brought us another soul-stirring rendition of the popular Sufi song ‘Dum-a-Dum Mast Qalandar’ in his upcoming film ‘Dhanak’. The ever-green soulful number has been picturised on the eight-year visually-impaired old Chotu, who is travelling across the Rajasthan desert with his elder sister Pari to meet Shahrukh Khan, in the hope that the superstar will help him get his eyesight back.

//www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCzPm0Ww4cc

Kukunoor has been extremely involved in all aspects of the film, including the music, and reveals that the song is his personal favourite. “In India, we are very proud of this classic melody that has always had a universal appeal over the years, and that comes across in the film as well.” Composed by Tapas Relia, the song has been sung by powerhouse performer Devu Khan, the young protégé of Indian Idol runner-up Swaroop Khan, from the folk...

The trailer of Nagesh Kukunoor’s internationally-acclaimed and much-awaited film ‘Dhanak’ (Rainbow) released today creating an instant buzz online. With ‘Dhanak’, the noted filmmaker completes his humane trilogy after his award-winning films, ‘Dor’ and ‘Iqbal’. The Ayesha Takia-Gul Panag starrer ‘Dor’ and ‘Iqbal’ starring Shreyas Talpade had tugged the heartstrings with their simple but heartwarming stories and now ‘Dhanak’ is touted to be notches above.

Having garnered worldwide acclaim and several international awards, ‘Dhanak’ – produced by Manish Mundra of Drishyam Films – is slated for a release in India on June 10.

‘Dhanak’ revolves around eight-year old visually-impaired boy Chotu and his 10-year-old sister Pari, who has promised her younger brother, that he will be able to see by the time he turns nine. Happy, precocious and a smart ass, Chotu is the life of his small village in Rajasthan, while Pari is his eyes and his best friend. Once...

By Katherine Matthews and Rumnique Nannar

One of the most frustrating aspects of covering festival and indie films has been the limited access for a wider audience – very often review comments run along the lines of: “Tell me where I can see this!” 2015 was a year that finally saw some great shifts in this, with a number of festival films finally getting a theatrical release – some of them films that had been on the festival circuit for a couple of years, some of them hot off the 2015 festival rounds. Audiences for both festival and indie films are small, but they’re growing, and access to this year’s “best of” selection should be easier for interested viewers. 2015 was, indeed, a great year for these films – enjoy our choices for Festival and Indie Bests!

Qissa

A TIFF2013 film that finally saw its theatrical release this past year, Qissa (“Folktale”), set in post-partition India,...

Pari (Hetal Gada), 10, and her younger brother, Chotu (Krrish Chhabria), 8, live with their aunt and uncle after their parents were killed in an accident. Chotu is blind – though we discover as the film unpeels itself that Chotu wasn’t always blind, that he became that way after becoming ill after being badly nourished, something which could have been prevented. Pari, though, promises her brother that he will regain his eyesight in time for his ninth birthday, that they will see rainbows when he finally can see again. When she sees a poster of her idol, Shah Rukh Khan, encouraging people to donate their eyes, Pari decides to write to him, sure in the belief that he will help Chotu regain his sight.

The village postmaster is indulgent, at first, sending a few of Pari’s letters on. But then he tells Pari’s uncle that enough is enough, he must talk to Pari,...

The festival returns this month for its sixth edition. Every year Liff aims to bring audiences some of the very best new Indian independent cinema, which includes features, documentaries and short films by both acclaimed and emerging filmmakers. This year’s line up promises to leave you entertained, informed, thought provoking and even in some cases leaving a screen shocked.

We now present the films that will be screened at this prestigious festival

Umrika | Opening Night | UK Premiere | cert 12A

Hindi with English subtitles | 98 min | India 2015 | Dir. Prashant Nair | with: Suraj Sharma, Tony Revolori, Adil Hussain, Smita Tambe, Prateik Babbar.

This year’s Sundance Audience Award winner is an uplifting, rights of passage tale about two brothers from a small village who have dreams of making it big in Umrika (America). Udai (Pratiek Babbar) is the eldest and adored by his hard-working mum. He leaves their hamlet on a bullock...

Last month Nagesh Kukunoor's Dhanak bagged 2 awards at the Berlinale Festival, and now Kukunoor is all set to leave for Toronto in April, where Dhanak will be screened at the Tiff kids.

Nagesh posted on a micro-blogging site, "Happy to announce that @Dhanakthefilm is headed to Toronto in April. Will show at @tiff kids."

Nagesh Kukunoor is known for his critically-acclaimed movies like Dor, Iqbal. Nagesh's last movie Laksmi, which was a Bollywood movie based on social problem, had also bagged an award for best narrative at the Palm Springs Film Festival.

Dhanak is the story of a ten-year-old girl Pari and her blind younger brother Chotu, who are inseparable. Written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, Dhanak's cast includes Krrish Chhabria, Hetal Gada, Gulfam Khan, Vipin Sharma, Suresh Menon, Chet Dixon, Fllora Saini, Vijay Maurya, Vibha Chhibber and Rajiv Laxman.