Movie: Balak Palak
Director: Ravi Jadhav
Cast: Subodh Bhave, Madan Deodhar, Anand Ingale, Kishore Kadam, Rohit Phalke, Shashwati Pimplikar and Bhagyashree Shankpal
Rating: ****
At the very beginning, let me clarify that “Balak Pala” (BP) is not about four teenagers being exploited by sex, but it’s about the communication chasm between children and parents. Even though there is strong reference to sex in the film, but mostly it’s about the urge to learn about everything that is labeled forbidden for children. Drawing inspiration from day-to-day incidents, BP treads the path seldom used by Indian filmmakers.
On the last day of their exams, before Diwali vacation, four teenagers – Avya, Bhagya, Chiu and Dolly, return home to learn that one of the residents of their colony, Jyoti, has left as she brought disgrace to her family.
Bewildered at the exit of Jyoti, it’s up to the kids to figure out her disgraceful act. Aided by their matured friend Vishu, who believes the secret to life, is in knowing all about sex, the kids gain access to porn first through the written word, followed by visual medium.
However, along the course of the film, as the kids get succumbed to temptation, their innocence and their friendships are strained. Eventually, it becomes the responsibility of Kadam uncle to help them realize that the path they’ve chosen is not safe.
It’s one of those adorable films I’ve ever come across in recent times. Without sounding too preachy and vulgar, it makes us realize the sensitivity of sex education under supervision and the need to communicate transparently with kids. The film doesn’t zero in on one particular topic and harp on it, instead opts to encompass an array of things associated with teenagers. It addresses varied topics such as friendship, trust, healthy parenting and infatuation, among many more.
The subject is relevant, especially now that all TV channels and newspapers seem to talk about rape. As one of the scenes in the film aptly puts it, kids nowadays need no introduction to sex, but what they really need is someone who could throw some light on these things.
The film also reminds me of one of the common jokes about Indian style of parenting. People say the only difference between parenting styles in India and abroad is that here, we tell our children what not to do, what not to touch and what not to drink. However, there, they tell their children what to do, what to touch and what to drink. The difference is that when you impose rules on children, who are usually quite inquisitive at that age, they tend do the same things behind our backs.
It isn’t easy to make a humorous film on a subject this bold and serious, while extracting terrific performances from the child actors. The actors, on their part are immensely talented. While the film does get tad slow at times, but the message it delivers is extremely important.