The short film on the child trapped in the lockdown won international accolades

Piyana Bandyopadhyay got the idea when, during the 2020 lockdown, her seven-year-old daughter started missing her time at school with her best friends: how they used to travel on the school bus, share tiffins and jokes. Enjoyed listening. Classes under the supervision of teachers.

“What a pity, I thought,” said Ms. Bandyopadhyay, “a seven-year-old is reminiscent of childhood!” This is how it started. Travel light of other days – Her short film expressing a child’s desire to be free from captivity and enjoy childhood with friends, teachers and nature during the COVID-19 pandemic – was unveiled at the New York-based Virtual South Asian Film Festival late last year. and thus the movie was released on Saints.

“We initially went the festival route and then went for a public release on YouTube on January 26 this year as we thought Republic Day was the right day when it could be shared with a wider audience. In our Constitution, the right to education is a fundamental right and every child has the right to be educated,” said the Kolkata-based advertising professional of his 10-minute debut.

According to Ms. Bandyopadhyay, this thought once made her restless and she started almost immediately. “I was in Kharagpur at that time. I contacted my photography director Shubhdeep Dey on Facebook. He assured me that he can make a team at short notice. Then I discussed the idea with my editor, Carol Chiramel, who is based out of Canada. He advised me that I should ask the child artist [Yalini Sharma] To act exactly as she feels. I think that was the best thing for the film. He portrayed the pain so naturally that he was able to take out the tears of the audience,” she said.

Even though the film was shot in a day, the post-production took a lot of time and took place in different parts of the world due to the pandemic. The background music, for example, was composed by the internationally acclaimed Praveen Mani, and the editing was both done in Canada.

Even though Ms. Bandyopadhyay was armed with the permission of the Deputy Regional Manager of the South Eastern Railway and the Principal of St. Agnes’ School – her Alma mater – The shoot presented its own set of challenges.

“We had many constraints because of the pandemic. Also, as an independent filmmaker, I had budget constraints. Above all, it was important to keep the child and crew safe. So, we took utmost care and kept the story around one character. Even the milkman who comes to the child artist in the film was his father,” Ms. Bandyopadhyay recalled.

“Managing the wonderful, enthusiastic and curious crowd of Kharagpur was a challenging and hilarious experience for the crew. I remember they used to jointly call ‘cut’ at the right time with me!” he said.

Ms. Bandyopadhyay said that the film was well received by audiences across North America through its online concerts. “They even had some teachers comment on how much they missed school with their students. Schools are wonderful platforms where a child’s social skills are nurtured. I believe that despite all the right intentions The warmth of personal interactions through love and admonitions in online classes has been reduced. It is a loss not only to the child but to the society as a whole,” she said.

That said, the organizers of the festival found light of other days For being “a touching commentary” on the innocence lost due to the virus. The film’s release coincided with the West Bengal government’s decision to reopen schools and colleges from February 3. But since only students of class 8 and above have returned to their schools, Ms. Bandyopadhyay’s daughter, only in class 2, continues. Until a decision is made regarding children of his age, stay at home.

“As a mother, I feel concerned about children not attending school, their addiction to mobile phones, their superficial existence on social platforms – these will have far-reaching adverse effects on our next generations,” she said.