Dhanak | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Nagesh Kukunoor |
Produced by | Nagesh Kukunoor Elahe Hiptoola |
Written by | Nagesh Kukunoor |
Starring |
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Music by | Tapas Relia |
Cinematography | Chirantan Das |
Edited by | Sanjib Dutta |
Production
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Distributed by | PVR Pictures |
Release date
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Running time
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106 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Dhanak (English: The Rainbow) is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language film written and directed by Nagesh Kukunoor. Produced by Manish Mundra, Nagesh Kukunoor, and Elahe Hiptoola, the film features Hetal Gadda and Krrish Chhabria as the two children, playing brother and sister, in the leading roles, with supporting performances from Chet Dixon, Vipin Sharma, Gulfam Khan, Vibha Chibber, Flora Saini, and Vijay Maurya. The film was released nationwide in India on 17 June 2016.
Every morning Pari (Hetal Gada) and Chotu's (Krrish Chhabria) long walk to school begins with the toss of a coin outside their hut. The winner will decide if the story that will be told on the way to school that day will be one about a Shah Rukh Khan film or a Salman Khan film. The siblings are rivals in their love for the two stars. Pari is devoted to Shah Rukh and Chotu worships Salman Khan (down to wearing a replica of the star's trademark silver bracelet with a blue stone).
Ten-year-old Pari holds her precocious eight year old brother's hand throughout the journey to school and back. She's not just his friend and sister but, since Chotu is visually impaired, she's also his guide. With just months to go before Chotu turns nine, Pari feels the pressure to fulfill her promise to her brother - that he will have his eyesight back before his ninth birthday.
Hope floats when she spots a poster of Shah Rukh Khan (SRK) encouraging eye donations. She begins to write him letters, which of course go unanswered but when Pari hears that her idol is shooting a movie in Rajasthan she has her mission. Convinced that a meeting with SRK is all it would take to get Chotu his eyes back, the children set off alone on a 300 km journey traversing testing terrain.
All songs are composed and produced by Tapas Relia. The lyrics are by Manoj Yadav, Mir Ali Husain and Tapas Relia.
The film was premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival where it won the Crystal Bear Grand Prix for Best Children's Film, and Special Mention for the Best Feature Film by The Children's Jury for Generation Kplus. The film has also garnered the Best Film Award in the main category-Children's Feature Film Competition-Cinema in Sneakers (film festival), and the Best Film Award - at the Montreal International Children's Film Festival (FIFEM). Dhanak was also screened at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles, and the Toronto International Film Festival.