It was an evening of celebrating the many shades of childhood on Monday as director Kaushal Oza's children's comedy-drama Little Thomas had its world premiere at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. The Anurag Kashyap-backed film, starring Gulshan Devaiah, Rasika Dugal and child artiste Hridansh Parekh, was screened at Hoyts Melbourne Central, as part of the prestigious international film festival.
The comedy-drama, revolving around the misadventures of a seven-year-old boy, had audiences laughing, applauding, and cheering along. The screening also saw the attendance of ace filmmakers Imtiaz Ali, Shoojit Sircar, and Rima Das.
Oza, Dugal, and co-producer Ranjan Singh happily interacted with the audience and opened up about their journey with the charming film. Chatting about her experience, Duggal shared that she was thrilled to be able to exhibit this labor of love at such a prestigious festival. “It was quite an experience watching the film alongside the viewers at IFFM. I was delighted to see the audience keenly engaging with the film, often giggling in the comedic moments. They also made astute observations and their questions brought back fond memories of the shoot,” she said.
The actor expressed that she was also thrilled to see her favorite filmmakers — Imtiaz Ali, Shoojit Sircar and Rima Das — at the screening. “To be on a platform like this, celebrating Indian films and sharing one's own work with a global audience as well as with directors one looks up to — it's an unforgettable moment. It will always be etched in my mind,” she said.
Set in Goa, the movie revolves around seven-year-old Thomas and his attempts to unite his bickering parents — all in the hopes of getting a baby brother. “It's a film with a big heart. I'm so glad it has touched audiences here and got such a wonderful kick-off. I'm hopeful that it will be loved by viewers everywhere,” Duggal added.
The film marks Kashyap's return to the children's film genre in about 17 years. Little Thomas is produced by Kashyap, Ranjan Singh, Rajnikant Oza, Charu Oza, Anushka Shah and Kabir Ahuja.
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