Darsheel Safary has paved the way for Bollywood's young hopefuls.
Talented child artistes in Bollywood can now aim high thanks to 11-year-old Darsheel Safary whose performance in Taare Zameen Par has opened many doors. As the loveable dreamer with a learning disability in Aamir Khan's directorial debut, he won the critics' prize for best actor in the Filmfare Awards last week.
First time
Darsheel was nominated in the best actor category, the first such honour for a child in the 54-year-old film awards. Never before had a child artiste competed with established actors like Shah Rukh Khan for the best actor's crown.
"The award has certainly opened a new door for child artistes in the country. It provides a complete new platform for children," Darsheel's mother Sheetal Safary told IANS on the phone from Mumbai.
Although Shah Rukh bagged the best actor's prize, Darsheel and his mother are happy with the fact that the industry has started recognising children as actors.
"We were not expecting the award, we had just asked for a nomination in the best actor category. And the nomination was a big achievement for us," Sheetal said.
Gives hope
The focus on children and family cinema has dramatically improved in Bollywood with more and more production houses venturing into the genre. And Darsheel gives hope to child actors and widens the scope for more child-centric films in the future.
"Children's films were never considered profitable in filmdom. But after Taare Zameen Par, filmmakers are more conscious about family films. Lots of animation films are also being made," said Ashish Saxena, COO (Films Cell), PVR Cinemas.
Children today are far more mature and if guided, can be a safe bet at the box office. Darsheel is a case in point.
