Producer-director discusses why he thinks kids are turning to Western content today
Producer-director discusses why he thinks kids are turning to Western content today
As a parent to a 12-year-old child, Kiran Rao says she is often introduced to content and themes that are the most unexpected. Mumbai-based film director and producer at Aamir Khan Productions shares, “But these have helped revise my opinion of what is considered ‘watching entertainment for kids’ globally, in India and among parent groups. is.” Kiran, who has produced films like Like stars on the earth (2007) and Dangal (2016), was the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image (MAMI) – which organizes the annual Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2019. Currently in post production for a feature film that she has directed, Kiran is also working on a toolkit to help make children aware of safe online behavior. Edited excerpts from an interview:
Where do we stand with original Indian content for kids?
I’ve spent a lot of time with 9-11 year old boys in Mumbai, and my observations based on personal interactions with this small urban subset are that they mainly watch Hollywood franchise movies. [Marvel, DC and the like], Japanese or Pixar animation, and shows on Netflix or Disney. They rarely watch an Indian film – probably because not much is being made for the two age groups that really appeals to them. They have become accustomed to a visual aesthetic and storytelling style that is largely influenced by Hollywood, gaming [Pokemon, Minecraft, Fortnite, Roblox, Brawl Stars, etc] and anime series.
A still from ‘Brawl Stars’
What are your comments on the content to be consumed and the potential for this audience?
I watch my son and his close friends move towards content with humor and action. My son watches a lot of videos on YouTube, which I used to oppose a lot earlier. YouTube – unlike YouTube Kids – contains content that children may unintentionally expose to, which we may find objectionable or even dangerous for their age group. But, despite the loss, I have since changed my mind, as my son watches a lot of what we might call ‘edu-tainment’ videos, such as videos from Mark Robert, ZHC or Joseph Joseph’s MachinesThose who use the STEAM field to create and experiment with art or objects.
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He watches sports YouTubers, like F2Freestylers, to learn techniques and tips. [football by Billy and Jezza] or Storror [the parkour collective], One Indian channel they see posting funny sketches is Slayypoint, but other than that not much via Indian content. Young children enjoy watching other children do things online, such as unboxing and playing with toys or games [ Ryan’s World had 32.5 million subscribers last I checked], There are few better shows my son has seen or watched Wild Kratts, Mr. Peabody and ShermanAnd storybots,
A clip of a Storror video
How does one help children navigate the digital world?
CSAM. The terrifying growth in the prevalence and consumption of [Child Sexual Abuse Material] The content in India is beyond shocking. Our children are certainly not safe online, and we do not have the means to educate children between the ages of four and 15 about the dangers of their activities online. [like grooming through gaming platforms, for instance], Big Tech certainly isn’t doing enough, and a lot of it comes from the double-edged sword of privacy that apparently prevents them from collecting information about individual user activity.
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For parents and caregivers, the task of protecting children without the need to hover over or police is complex enough. But it is imperative that we do so. A group of us is working towards creating a toolkit – for different age groups – that parents or teachers can use to educate children about safe online behavior and the pitfalls of the Internet.
When will your toolkits be available?
I just started working on them; I am still meeting people who work in the field and gather information. I think they should be like a checklist, super simple for kids to remember and implement.
Why do you think there is such a huge gap between what is being made in India and what the kids are actually watching?
In India, producers have not, historically, really invested in creating content for children. [with the exception of Chhota Bheem, Motu Patlu, and a few others in the past decade] Perhaps because they don’t see a clear profit incentive in doing so. The Indian market for entertainment is so diverse that there are many things to consider when creating content in general. And with children, one has to take into account not only rural/urban and language questions, but age groups as well.
A scene from ‘Chhota Bheem’ on netflix
As producers, we do not have sufficient access to data to understand their viewing habits on OTT platforms. As a result, production houses probably don’t see the upside in investing in children’s content. Therefore, in this absence, children are attracted to international shows and films as there is a wide variety available for different age groups to very high production quality, and many of them have been successfully dubbed for India.
They are also consuming a wide variety of content and not just the traditional ‘story’ based content that we are used to making. In fact, many children are creating content themselves by the age of eight or nine. Hence, at the tremendous speed with which technology is co-opted by the new generation, adults in the country are alienated from what children really like and react to. So, the success of kids like Ryan, who know what kids really want to watch, are 10 years old themselves.