Just like how the little girl in the movie yearns to see Gold Fishes, I was waiting to watch this movie. And it’s GOLD! It opens a window to the colorful world of children which we have before us, but hardly look in to it.
Its about a child who has questions you cannot answer or handle and the very same child has multiple answers for your simple questions. But she is studying second standard for the second time, since she is not up to their standards. But the director illustrates very well that there are no good students or bad students, its just capable teachers and otherwise.[I can vouch for it , since I am sitting through both kind of classes].Kudos to Ram for playing out the Dad, he has brought out the character in that character without any loss. Chellama’s Dad knows the rules and the games of that wonderland – a childs view of the world. He had to suffer because he doesn’t know the rules and games of the real world. May be knowing one makes it difficult to know the other?
Even this Dad believes that good education is synonymous with private schools. I always wondered (even as a child) why government school teachers are paid more and work less and my teachers have to work hard for less salary. We lost many good teachers to government schools when they moved on for the secured jobs.And we do miss our Misses at times due to their marriage just like the Evita Miss! Evita miss is a good hearted teacher who cares for children. And even she doesn’t know the impact she has over her students! [None of us know how a child learns and perceives the world.] When she realizes the faith,hope and love of a student she was speechless. I bet we all would go speechless too if we can understand how a child understands us.
Okay I need a line from the story to talk more about it. Dad is the soul and sole companion of the daughter.Circumstances separate the pair and when Ram comes back he complaints that “I left a child, and you killed the child in that child”! I was having the exact same thought ever since Chellama was tortured, by the teacher who was not willing to walk that extra step to understand a child, her little friends who treat her badly, her Mom who harms her without being able to restrain her emotion. Its not just in the story in the movie, I have seen it happening right before my eyes.
Right from capturing how TV influences kids, to their ability to understand the wicked intention of grandmas, the camera compels you to see the world from a child’s view!
And parents do it,just because they believe its good for their children. But sadly good education is not what they think. And good education need not necessarily bring comforts in life. The cost we pay for the education is just not the overpriced fees, but that innocence of a child hood! And as a child I do remember my happiness was quantized by marks.Already my Mom has asked sorry to me , but still believes that if she hadnt spared the rod I would have been a spoiled child.I bet she wouldn’t let me do that to my children, for she knows better now!
Every children is a good learner, just try competing with a child in learning a new language!This one size fits all and grading education is doing more harm than good.
This isnt a movie review, will do that when I watch this aesthetic movie in a good ambience, for now just jotted down some thoughts which ran through my mind. I used to think about it a lot, but when a movie captures it visually you are prone to remember and learn lots of lessons from it.
This movie is a compulsory lesson for all the parents. And teachers- you just have the best and most wonderful job of all. Especially the primary school teachers. Mostly I will never ever meet my primary school teachers. But the love and care they had showered is what made us! Not many teachers understand that.
Atleast Chellama had a Dad to save her from getting drowned in this pond. But a lot other kids get drowned in the sea in search of “Thanga Meengal” Save Children and Celebrate them!
If you have come here for movie review – Sorry! Keep waiting!
Posted by Deepak 
Nuggets of nonsense 