September 20, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Director Nila Madhab Panda’s forthcoming children’s movie I Am Kalam, has been selected to be screened at the esteemed London Film Festival, which is starting next month.
The movie deals with the story of a poor boy, who is a great fan of former president of India, A P J Abdul Kalam. He is so inspired by Kalam that he starts referring himself as Kalam.
On May 12th, the movie had its world premiere at the 63rd Cannes Film Festival at the Marche du Film section. I Am Kalam is set to release in India by December.
The film is set in Bikaner in Rajasthan. The story revolves around Chhotu and his hunger for education, which he cannot afford due to poverty. The film has a duration of only 87 minutes and within this short time, the director takes you to the world of that poor boy Chhotu. The director said that the boy watches Kalam on TV and gets inspiration from his words, how Kalam pursued his education after crossing several odds.
Delhi slum boy Harsh Mayar plays the role of Chhotu, who works in a dhaba. An unexpected turn comes to his life when he befriends a guy whose father was a former king of a princely state.
The Smile Foundation and Eleanora Images Private Limited have produced the movie and it was completed in six months.
— Sampurn Wire
