An open letter to Indian children-centric stories that seem to have become a thing of the past!

Recently, watching my favorite childhood movie made me realize that filmmakers have stopped creating children-centric movies and shows, and here’s why I think that’s sad.

While scrolling online, I read a random comment that said '15 was the last time they felt smarter than everyone around them', and I couldn’t help but relate to it. Even though I can't admit it without feeling embarrassed, I do remember having that “superhero complex”. And if I’m being honest, most of it came from the content I consumed at that age. Adults were often the background characters in the stories I grew up watching, while kids were in the spotlight driving the story forward. This made me feel like the world revolved around us in real life too, and that belief fueled some serious delusions. 

This thought came to me when I rewatched Chillar Party recently. If you haven’t watched it, it’s about a group of kids who stand up against societal norms to defend a friend and his dog. The adults were portrayed as the bad guys while highlighting how society often overlooked children's voices. Back then, watching that group of mischievous kids go up against grown-ups was enough to awaken the rebel in me. Movies like that made me question the authority of adults and led to a belief that kids can be just as right (and sometimes, cooler) than the grown-ups around them.

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After I finished rewatching the movie I just went on a spiral remembering every movie that impacted me as a child like the movie Bumm Bumm Bole. It's a story about two siblings, where the brother, Amir, loses his sister’s only pair of shoes. He enters a race just to win a new pair for her. He has to come in third place to win the shoes. Stories like these made me believe that kids aren’t weak or powerless and it was almost impossible not to develop a main character complex. 

Now, you might argue that we can't compare these films to ones made for kids today since they have different tastes. It's completely fair! Just because something doesn’t resonate with me now doesn’t mean it’s bad. But as someone who grew up watching these films, I can’t stop bragging about how good they were during my childhood. We had movies like Bhoothnath that explored important themes which talked about personal loss and letting go. Not to forget shows like Vicky aur Vetaal that made us want to go on adventures adding a twist to the classic tale of Vikram and Betaal. Interestingly, this was also my first introduction to the famous folklore.

This kind of content wasn’t just a reflection of our culture but something that actively impacted our childhood through their concepts. I still cannot forget the craze around the show Shaka Laka Boom Boom—I mean, who didn’t want that magic pencil? It was a cultural phenomenon where you could actually find similar-looking pencils at the nearest stationery shop. Shows like these didn’t just entertain us; they gave us references and symbols that stuck with us in a way that's just hard to forget. 

Movies like Take My Friend Ganesha or Hero – Bhakti Hi Shakti Hai were the reason I was intrigued to learn about Indian culture and mythology as a kid. It need my adult sensibility to realize the genuine heart with which these films were made.  “The Return of Hanuman” is the perfect example considering the interesting trivia I learned about the song “Aasman Ko Chukar” from the film. In the song, we see everyone from birds and sharks to planes and people dancing. Interestingly, the characters’ dance moves were inspired by their personalities, with choreographers creating movements to give animators a reference for each character's unique traits. Sung by Daler Mehndi, it has such energy and character that makes you wonder why we never fully appreciate the effort went into a “kids’ song”. 

Looking at films like Chhota Bheem and The Curse of Damyaan that are made for kids today, I might act cool and try to diss Chhota Bheem. But after seeing the trailer and those familiar characters again and in live-action, I did get a bit of a nostalgic thrill. It reminded me how rare it’s become to find films with kids as protagonists and adults in the background. Somewhere along the way, it feels like children’s media has lost the freedom to be playful and imaginative. 

We know that adults aren’t as open to the absurd or the whimsical which helped movies or shows centered around kids to have a level of creativity you don’t often see in adult-focused films. Kids love watching absurdity, happily believing that a magic pencil can fix their problems or that they can befriend a ghost. And honestly, I think we need these stories just as much as the kids. Adulthood has become about embracing sophistication and “acting grown-up”. Imagining that we are seeing our favorite superhero standing in front of a mirror makes us feel less fantastic and more stupid. It's as if growing up has become all about shaming every fun and imaginative thing we loved as kids. Honestly, I can't remember the last time I let myself believe I could be smarter, stronger, or braver than everyone else. That's exactly why I think we should have more children-centric stories while we encourage today's kids to rewatch our childhood favorites.

Happy Children's Day! And let us know about your favourite childhood film or show in the comments.

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