JOIN USNearly 2,400 students from across Udupi district had a fun-filled day at four theaters, where children’s films were screened, in town on Wednesday.
As Children’s India, a Bengaluru-based NGO, failed to organise the proposed International Children Film Festival in Udupi, the district administration, in association with four theatre owners of Udupi, had made alternative arrangements to screen Kannada children’s movies for the students.
Film fest venues
The films were screened at Diana, Kalpana, Ashirvad and Alankar theatres. ‘Banadi’ was the first film to be screened in the morning, while ‘Sachin Tendulkar Alla’ was screened in the afternoon.
The children from Adi Udupi School, South Olakadu, Gandhi Centenary Higher Primary and High school in Malpe, Sharada High school in Cherkadi in Brahmavar, Government Model School, Hangarukatte, Karkada School Brahmavar, Saint Joseph School Udyavara, Viveka Girls High School, Kota, T M A Pai High school, Kalianpura, Government High school Tenkanidiyur, Government Pre University College, Kemmannu, Milagres High school, Kalianpura, Salihath High school, Hoode, Saint Philomena Higher Primary School, Kemmannu were part of the viewers on the occasion. As many as 33 buses were pressed into service to transport the students to the theaters.
Nearly 200 teachers and volunteers accompanied the children. The children were offered snacks, buttermilk and water. The volunteers were from local colleges. The district-level officials were the nodal officers on the occasion.
Actress Manasi Sudheer Rao, who played the main role in the film ‘Banadi’ as the boy’s mother, watched the film with the students at Kalpana theatre.
In Mangaluru
A large number of students watched movies in 11 theatres in Mangaluru on Wednesday. However, on Wednesday too, most of the students were not aware about the films to be screened and the details of theatres. Except the volunteers, hardly anybody knew the movies to be screened or the language of the movie.
“Instead of screening different movies in different theatres, one or two movies could have been screened in all the theatres on the lines of Udupi,” a teacher said.
Quite interestingly, most of the theatres in Mangaluru screened the movies other than those which were scheduled. But many students were happy as most of the theatres screened Kannada movies on Wednesday.
Last day today
Thursday is the last day of the film festival.
“We have been asked to assemble at the school at 7.55 am on Thursday and we have been told that we will be taken for a movie. However, we don’t know which theatre we are going or which movie we will be shown,” a group of students in Kulshekar, who were excited that they would be going to theatres, said.