Children in Hindi cinema: The good, the brat and the wily
One of few accessible Indian films of the silent era, Dadasaheb Phalke’s Kaliya Mardan (1919) is renowned for attempting early special effects. The film’s other highlight: its child star, Mandakini — Phalke’s seven-year-old daughter and one of the first child artists of Indian cinema. Phalke presents her on screen with great adulation and flourish. A shot of Mandakini’s smiling face dissolves to her turning into Krishna. She conveys a variety of expressions. An intertitle invites viewers to study the young performer’s range. In the promotional material of Kaliya Mardan and Phalke’s other mythological films she starred in, little Mandakini is hailed as a wonder child epitomising the flute-playing god.
From the cherubs in the early mythological fares to the eagerly virtuous children of the ‘50s to the angry, avenging lot of the ‘70s-‘80s masala-actioners, the image of child artists in Hindi cinema keeps evolving. Their characters, actions and motivations reflected the mood of the tim
