Nil Batte Sannata: This film is about the only dream in Chanda’s life is to see her daughter Apu shine. She is a maid who dreams big for her child. But Apu is an immature teenager who cannot fathom her mother’s sacrifices. She is happy being lackadaisical. Chanda gets herself enrolled in Apu’s class and in no time, she is everybody’s favourite. Nil Battey Sannata is a rare film, the kind that will bring tears to your eyes but leave a smile on your face. It is gratifying to watch something unpretentious in times when commercial films are stooping to entertain.
Chalk N Duster: Chalk N Duster is a 2016 Indian drama film about commercialization of the Indian private education system, starring Juhi Chawla, Shabana Azmi, Zarina Wahab, Girish Karnad and Divya Dutta. The film talks about teachers’ and students’ communication, and highlights the problem of teachers and students in an educational system which is changing day by day.
I am Kalam: It is the story of a poor boy derives inspiration from the former President of India, A. P. J. Abdul Kalam. He then decides to change his name to Kalam and harbours a dream of meeting the visionary and moulding his life, accordingly.
Taare Zameen Par: An eight-year-old boy is thought to be a lazy trouble-maker, until the new art teacher has the patience and compassion to discover the real problem behind his struggles in school. It is an heart-rending story of the boy’s struggles and his journey in finding his identity.
Iqbal: A boy with a hearing and speech impairment — and extraordinary athletic ability — chases his lifelong dream of playing cricket for India. It is an awe-inspiring story that is a must-watch by every kid.
Poorna: It is the story of Poorna Malavath, a 13-year-old girl from a tribal village in remote Telangana who became the youngest girl to scale Mount Everest in 2014. The movie delves deep into how Poorna, despite her helpless circumstances, created a World Record and scaled the highest peak. The story also revolves around RS Praveen Kumar, an IG cadre IPS officer from Telangana and the Secretary of Telangana Social Welfare Residential Schools, who played a key role in identifying the talented Poorna and her companion, Anand and provided them training at Bhongir Rock Climbing School located in Yadadri-Bhongir district. It is a delightful watch for kids and to learn about perseverance in life.
Black: Black revolves around a hearing and visually impaired girl, and her relationship with her teacher who himself later develops Alzheimer’s disease. The film draws inspiration from Helen Keller’s life and struggle. Black was a commercial success, becoming the second highest grossing Indian film worldwide in 2005 and the highest-grossing 2005 Indian film overseas.
Hichki: The film is an adaptation of Brad Cohen’s autobiography Front of the Class: How Tourette Syndrome Made Me the Teacher I Never Had. Hichki is the story of an aspiring teacher having Tourette syndrome, who must prove herself by educating a group of underprivileged students.
Chillar Party: This film is about a gang of innocent but feisty kids who lead carefree lives in Chandan Nagar colony that takes on the big bad world of politics when one of their friend’s life is endangered. Each of the eight children has his own identity and a nickname based on these qualities.
The Blue Umbrella: The Blue Umbrella is a 1980 Indian novel written by Ruskin Bond. It was adapted into 2005 Hindi film by the same name. It is the story set up in a small village of Himachal Pradesh, where a little girl, Binya, owns a Blue Umbrella. In the village, the shopkeeper keeps an old ruined shop and sells warm Coca Cola bottles and sells sweets to the school going kids . For him an umbrella is a precious thing to have. The people in the village of Himachal Pradesh become very fond of her umbrella. What follows is an interesting twist of events.
Stanley Ka Dabba: Stanley is a fourth grader at Holy Family school in Mumbai and is very popular among his friends. He is talented and well liked by his peers. The English teacher, Ms. Rosy, is particularly impressed with his creativity, wit, and humour. Stanley doesn’t bring his lunch box or ‘dabba’ to school, unlike all his other classmates. Verma, is a ravenous Hindi teacher; a phagomaniac who does not bring his own dabba either but lusts after everyone else’s, also stealing food on occasion. The kids at school nickname him as ‘Khadoos’ (cantankerous person). He has a poor reputation among his peers for his mindless and inconsiderate gluttony. He particularly eyes the dabba of one of Stanley’s friends and shamelessly joins the group in class as soon as the lunch bell goes off to gorge on their food. A lot of his class time is spent discussing what his students brought for lunch. What follows next is an interesting tale which is a delight for kids.
Dhoni: The plot illustrates the conflicting interests of a father and his son; the father wants his son to study MBA, but his son is more interested in sports and wants to become a famous cricketer like Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Based on the Marathi film Shikshanachya Aaicha Gho by Mahesh Manjrekar, Dhoni won the appreciation of all people and kids alike.
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