Stanley Ka Dabba Hindi Movie
Back in 2007, when Aamir Khan's much celebrated work Taare Zameen Par released it followed many conjectures and controversies of its creative director Amole Gupte accusing Aamir of taking away his credit of being the director. Enter 2011, Amole comes up with another children's film Stanley Ka Dabba maybe to prove a point to the world. Whether it works or not let's find out.
Stanley Ka Dabba is about a bunch of school kids who enjoy their time in school and look forward to their group lunch sessions. But a mean, greedy school teacher Babubhai Verma (Amole Gupte) sits like a hawk on their Dabbas and eats away most of it. The kids detest him and don't want to share their tiffins. Twist comes when Babubhai rebukes Stanley, the most loved kid in the bunch, for never bringing his tiffin and tells him to stop coming to school if he continues to do so. Whether Stanley overcomes this mean obstacle or not is what the film is all about.
Stanley Ka Dabba is one of those rare endearing films that take you right back to your school days bringing a smile on your face right from the very start. It appeals to all age groups and instantly connects with everybody.
Director Amole Gupte earnestly and painstakingly peeps into the young minds and brings out their heartwarming innocence and infectious exuberance. The film doesn't have more than a simple uncomplicated plot to narrate but it ends up passing a vital message and touching each and everybody's soul.
SKD does have its share of flaws too; the biggest being the predictability of the growing tension of Stanley's failure to get his tiffin. Right from the time you see him entering school early, looking extremely shabby and failing each time in getting his lunch box, you know that there's more to this boy's tale and that's exactly what it turns out to be. However, it's the narrative that covers up the flaws. It's also the journey you take back to your childhood that makes you ignore these errors. Brownie points to Amole for actually having made this film only in the weekend acting workshops at the school spanning over one and a half year and not making any child work towards achieving those near perfect shots. Moreover, his trick also helps him capture some of the most candid moments of a child's behavior.
Amole Gupte's son as Partho is a mega storehouse of talent. And so is each and every kid in the whole school. Even the characters played by teachers are near perfect. The multi-talented Amol Gupte who is not only the director of this film but also the writer, lyricist, cinematographer and DOP is just brilliant. There's a certain sincerity in his work that instantly brings in an emotional connect. Amole's wife Deepa Bhatia as the editor does wonders to the film. Music by Hitesh Sonik is very playful.
Over all, Stanley Ka Dabba surely is a box full of endearing moments. Watch it to relive your childhood.
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