At the ongoing 19th edition of the Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF), there’s one documentary that stands out: Little Big Dreams, about a differently abled girl from Ladakh who sets out to achieve her dreams — with her friend, a donkey. In a nutshell, the 19-minute film explores three under-represented themes in cinema — stories from Ladakh, differently abled children, and the donkey, an animal who doesn’t exactly have a respectable reputation.
“If you just have a conversation over a Maggie with some of the children in Ladakh, you will realise that they haven’t got access to basic things and experiences of life — such as paint colours and coloured craft sheets. Also, I love the taboo that shall be removed from the film about donkeys — the entire population will fall in love with donkeys after watching it. There’s also a financial aspect to it that people aren’t aware of — their donkeys are used by the army, for which the families get paid, and those finances open the door for opportunities which they may not have the money for otherwise,” Shweta Parakh, one of the producers, said.
“Good films are made world over, but are not seen. So, I am thankful to the NFDC for making sure that a small film from Ladakh is showcased here,” said another filmmaker associated with the film, Pathik Vats, known for writing Sarfarosh (1999), the Aamir Khan blockbuster that introduced Nawazuddin Siddiqui to Bollywood.
But why a title like Little Big Dreams, you may ask — because for these children, no matter how small their wants may seem to us, for them they mean the world. Last year, the cast and children associated with the film also visited the Cannes Film Festival, where it was screened. Those associated with the film highlighted another important point: the struggle to pitch such films to OTT platforms, which seem to be more keen to give space to making celebrities out of serial killers.
At the red carpet of the film, the children missed out by a whisker on meeting a ‘great grand superhero’: Jackie Shroff, who was waiting to meet them but had to leave for another event. However, he made sure that he left a little something for them: Bhidu, his now-famous potted plant.
