28 May,2017 08:18 AM IST | Mumbai | Gitanjali Chandrasekharan
VJ Tina Thadani's debut short is about two schools run by NGOs that aim to provide Mumbai's slum kids a better life
Speaking over the phone from Cannes, Tina Thadani says she has been back and forth between India and New York for the last nine years. And, while the VJ - she currently works for B4U Music - has also dabbled in acting [her next appearance will be in French director, writer and actor Yassine Azzouz's film Guru], what brings her to the glitzy film festival, is her first directorial venture. One, with a Mumbai connect.
The Leftovers is a 22-minute short film on two organisations that run schools for Mumbai's slum kids. "I gave it that title because the children are the leftovers of society. It's kind of harsh, but it's what the children experience. Mumbai is a tough city in my experience and these children are not really accepted by society," says Thadani, about the short that was screened at Cannes in the short film category.
The idea for the short came to her four years ago when she started volunteering at Worli's Mamta KG School, run by Swati. The many faces in it include the students who studied here - it shut down in 2012. Swati, says Thadani, didn't want to discuss why the school was forced to shut down and later opened a new one in Pune. Also featured in the film is Archana, who teaches hygiene at the school. A mother of two, who has studied till Class X, she has undergone a teacher training course and hopes to become a full-time teacher some day.
Thadani also trains her camera at the children's families; the parents whose children attend these schools, getting trained in English speaking, yoga - experiences that they may not enjoy at municipal schools they attend.
In the film, that was shot in spurts - ie when Tina managed to take time from her work schedule - she also speaks to Anubha Sharma who has founded the Angel Express Foundation, an NGO that helps underprivileged children access education. It's here that Thadani volunteers today with English speaking classes when she finds the time. "I found these women inspiring as they had left the workforce and reputable jobs to give back to these kids," says Thadani.
Thadani, who had a friend from New York help her shoot the film, says she did the editing on her own, completing it overnight in order to send the entry to the festival on time. "And it got selected. I got a mail the very next day about when it was scheduled for screening."
On when Mumbai will get to see the film, she says she is in talks with a few people, but nothing's sure yet.
