Panaji : “Every kid or student is like a bottle with a different shape and a different lid. When they fail to learn, at the end, the blame should not go to them but the teachers and society who failed to open the lid and pour something inside the bottle.” This is the message given by Shoorveer Tyagi, director of the IFFI 51 Indian Panorama Non Feature Film, Jaadoo. He was addressing a press conference at 51st International Film Festival of India today, January 20, 2021 in Panaji, Goa.
Jaadoo is a multilayered film which portrays the world of children, their emotions and thinking. It says how two small girls Tvisha and Bhakthi who are poles apart, develop a friendship when both are thrown into a similar situation following their ousting from class. According to the Director, society plays a much larger role than that of parents and teachers, in shaping a children. “Besides education and learning, there are many things which are needed to be imbibed in a child. The responsibility of grooming a child is not limited to parents or teachers. In the larger sense, that responsibility lies with the society as a whole. But, at the same time, it’s also true that parents are the first teachers of kids. They should be capable to understand the internal world of kids. To make kids understand what we are trying to imbibe in them, we need to first go to their level and reach till the bottom of their heart. For that, we need to understand their language.”
This is where the role of grandparents assume importance, said the director who conducts theatre and acting workshops for children. “There is a saying that when an old man dies, a library of thousand books is burnt. The grandparents with immense wisdom play a great role in shaping the kid. We need to go back to our roots and bridge generation gaps. When there is a connection between old and new generations, good values seep on their own.”
Tyagi was grateful that the festival has been organized even during the time of COVID-19. “While we make films, until and unless the film reaches the audience, the cycle is not complete. I would like to thank IFFI and DFF for taking efforts to complete the cycle by organizing the film festival even amidst the pandemic”.
About Jaadoo:
Tvisha and Bhakti study in a remote village school. Every day for some reason they end up being punished and are thrown out of their classrooms. While younger Tvisha is chirpy, brimming with energy, older Bhakti is gloomy and shy. Despite their unlikeness, they gradually discover friendship. Outside the school, Bhakti visits a secret little place somewhere inside the forest; soon, Tvisha too joins her as both wait patiently for the magic to unfold.