Mumbai, July 23 (IANS): Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap’s upcoming production, Little Thomas, starring Gulshan Devaiah and Rasika Dugal, is heading to the upcoming edition of the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IIFM) for its world premiere.
The film marks the feature directorial debut of Kaushal Oza, who has won the National Film Awards twice for his short films 'Afterglow' and 'Vaishnav Jan Toh'.
Talking about the film, Anurag said: “I had seen Kaushal’s short film 'The Miniaturist of Junagadh' and liked it. Then I read the 'Little Thomas' script and understood his vision for it. He wanted to make a genuine children’s film while creating a world from a kid’s perspective. The honesty of his approach has helped make the film.”
The film also stars child artiste Hridansh Parekh. Set in the Goa of the 1990s, it follows Thomas, the only child of his parents, who desperately wants a little brother.
Gulshan said: “It’s a sweet, cute film, and I am thrilled it’s going to be shown at IFFM. The most special thing about 'Little Thomas' is its story and the beautiful innocence in its world. Rasika is a wonderful actor whom I’ve admired for a while now. She’s very professional and dedicated to her craft. I was lucky to work with her.”
Kaushal Oza, an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, shared that the team auditioned over 700 kids to find Thomas and the gang.
“Everyone has been seven years old once in their lives. When we grow up, we miss the innocence of the times we were kids. I wanted to capture the innocence and imagination that we had then and yearn for now,” he added.
Ranjan Singh of Flip Films said: “It seemed like an authentic children’s film, which I have missed over so many years.”
The film also stars Ninad Pandith and Mahabanoo Mody-Kotwal and will have a festival run before its theatrical release in India.
Producer Anushka Shah shared that "Thomas’ boundless imagination, curiosity, and resilience could positively shape children’s mindsets in their formative years.”
'Little Thomas' is produced by Luminoso Pictures, Civic Studios, Flip Films, and Good Bad Films.