''Mahek'' is an Indian children's film by writer-director
Kranti Kanade.
Synopsis
11-yr old Mahek dreams of becoming the very best at everything, but is unsure of how to achieve her goals. To complicate things further, an old magic-less modern fairy walks into her life.
Production
Development
The film was produced by the
Children's Film Society of India
Children's Film Society India (CFSI) was a nodal organisation of Government of India that produced children's films and various TV programs in various Indian languages. Established in 1955, CFSI functioned under the Ministry of Information an ...
(CFSI).
Crew
Artist and cartoonist
Mario Miranda
Mário João Carlos do Rosário de Brito Miranda (2 May 1926 – 11 December 2011), also known as Mario de Miranda, was an Indian cartoonist and painter based in Loutolim, Goa. He had been a regular with ''The Times of India'' and other news ...
did the illustrations for the film. Mrinal Desai was the director of photography, the editor was Suchitra Sathe and the sound designer was Anmol Bhave.
Release
It premiered at the
BFI London Film Festival
The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October.
In 2016, the BFI estimated that around 240 fe ...
to affectionate reviews. Invited to over twenty International film festivals including Chicago, Munich, Toronto, St Louis and Cleveland, it won awards in Hollywood and Houston. It was Best Children's film nominee at the
Asia Pacific Screen Awards
The Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) is an international cultural initiative overseen by the Asia Pacific Screen Academy and headquartered in Australia, sometimes called "Asia-Pacific Oscars". In order to realise UNESCO's goals of promoting a ...
, Australia and was shown as part of "Modern India" studies syllabus at the
Otterbein University.
Reviews
This film received positive with ''
British Film Institute
The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves filmmaking and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
'' terming it as "An inspiring family film from India". The ''Sprockets Toronto Film Festival'' noted that "The film celebrates imagination, self-confidence and perseverance." One of India's most respected critics
Maithili Rao, in the
Frontline (magazine)
''Frontline'' is a fortnightly English language magazine published by The Hindu Group of publications headquartered in Chennai, India. Vaishna Roy is the editor of the magazine. It is a news and views magazine that provides in-depth coverage ...
said that the film was "A rare combination of sensitivity and gentle humour". Similarly, Rachel Dwyer, ''
University of London
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...
'' termed the film as "Totally delightful". ''Cleveland Film Festival, USA'' noted it a "Gem of a film". ''St.Louis Film Festival, USA'' described ''Mahek'' as a "Beautifully filmed with a nice eye for color and very funny", whereas the ''Syracuse New Times,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
'' applauded that the film "Certainly matches Truffaut’s cinematic spirit."
Mahek has been included in the curriculum of Otterbein College, one of the oldest universities in the US.
*Outlook - A new filmmaker on the horizon
*Indian Express - Imagery of childhood
*Mahek's first screening in India
*Interview with Kranti Kanade
*Indian children's film win accolades in Houston
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, tt1210520
Indian children's films
2000s Hindi-language films
2007 films
2000s children's films