Mahesh Danannavar, the producer of the Gujarati children’s movie Gandhi & Co, is delighted at the film winning the Golden Slipper recently at the 62nd Zlin Film Festival in the Czech Republic.
“The director Manish Saini and I knew Gandhi & Co was a special story but to see it win big at such a major festival made me realize the reach of a well-made children’s film,” said Danannavar in a statement. “This is why I am thinking of dubbing the film in Hindi to take it to a wider audience in India. I also hope that more thought, effort and resources will be invested in children's films in the near future.”
Gandhi & Co stars Darshan Jariwala, Dhyani Jani, Sunil Vishrani, Jayesh More and Reyaan Shah.
Danannavar is eager to see more high-quality children’s films made in India. “Back in 1997, I remember watching Urmila Matondkar’s Chhota Chetan which was a dubbed version of 1984’s My Dear Kuttichathan, India’s first 3D movie in Malayalam,” he said. “Quality films for kids like Chillar Party (2011), The Blue Umbrella (2005), Taare Zameen Par (2007), I Am Kalam (2011), Stanley Ka Dabba (2011), Killa (2014) or Kaaka Muttai (2014) also appear once in a blue moon. This should change. Children should have access to good films that are made with them in mind.”
Danannavar revealed that the film weaves Gandhian ideals into its narrative in a feel-good way. He added, “A limited number of Gujarati movies are produced each year and even fewer children’s films are made even though we have had Kirtan Patel’s Back Bencher and Manish Saini’s National award-winning movie Dhh (2018). I really hope the success of Gandhi & Co encourages more makers to tell children's stories.”