RUNA LAILA - THE SUPER SINGER

For the lovers of ghazal, pop,fusion and disco music there is good news. The famous Bangaladesi singer, Runa Laila, after about two decades, is making a comeback in the Indian music scene with an album being released by Music Today. The album 'The Great Big Punjabi Wedding"contains 8 tracks of Punjabi songs sung by Runa Laila.
Music lovers will remember the successful and very popular presence of Runa Laila in the 60s and 70s in Indian music as a wonderful singer, stage performer and playback artist.She burst into the scene with her super hit song,'Dama dum Mast Qalandhar'[lyrics- Purnam Allahabadi. Music: Nisar Basmi) followed by the song 'Mere Babu Chhail Chhabila' from film Har jeet. She sang for several great music directors like Jaidev, Kalyanji Anandji, Laxmikant Pyarelal and Bappi Lahiri for films like Ek se badkar ek, Gharonda, Agnipath, Sapnom ka soudagar etc.,The songs 'Do Deewane shahar mein [Gharonda ] and 'Main kali anaarki' [Sapnom ka soudaaghar ]were super hits. In those days of her success and fame she got big press coverage and rave reviews in film publications.What made her stage programs a great hit was her sexy voice, personal charm,glamorous presence on stage and her capacity to shape the mood of the audience and to gel with it. Her stage shows were visual treats. She did several stage programs with Muhammad Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Kalyanji Anandji and Laxmikant Pyarelal.
But from the early 80s she started fading away and by the end of the 80s she disappeared from the Indian music scene inspite of her huge talent and success.The 'polytricks' of the industry was then cited as the reason for her return to Bangladesh eventhough she had denied this in one of her recent interviews.
Among my collection of gramophone records I have two of her successful discs. One is the ,'Superuna, Bappilahari Presents RunaLaila'. It contains ten disco songs tuned by Bappi Lahari and recorded in 24 track stereo at the EMI's London studio. The album has in it 'Disco Premi,' 'Suno Suno', and the most popular 'De De Pyar De'. Another disc with me is 'Great Ghazals'- RunaLaila- Style' containing ten ghazals which bring out the subtle nuances of her voice. Yet another disc is 'Sincerely Yours- RunaLaila' containig ten ghazals penned by Surayya Tabassum, Ghulam Quadir and Sheba Akhtar. Perhaps the best ever album of RunaLaila is 'O P Nayyar Presents- The Loves of RunaLaila' containing ten semiclassical songs composd by the great O.P. Nayyar. The album also contains the song Dama Dum Mast Khalandar and Mera Babu Chhail Chhabile. The fact that Runa Laila could successfully cope with Nayyar's musical magic spoke volumes about her talent. No wonder Nayyar had to admit that after Asha Bhosle it was RunaLaila who understood his compositions best. Runa Laila also has the distinction of earning an entry in Guinnes Book recording 30 semiclassical songs in 3days.

Hoping that her second coming to Indian music world will be a greater success than her first.

Professor M.P. Sreedharan-A Great Teacher

The Centenary Celebrations of Malabar Christian College, Calicut, my Alma Mater, had started this year. A meeting of the old students of the college convened by the Old Students' Association (O.S.A) was fixed to be held on the 27Th December. Though I had decided to attend the meeting, I was, on that morning, hesitating to travel the distance of about 75 kms.to reach Calicut. It was then that my wife showed me an article, in the Mathrubhumi Sunday supplement, on Prof. M.P. Sreedharan, former professor of History and Political Science at Malabar Christian College, on his 10th death anniversary which fell on the 27th December. The article was by Dr. M.G. S. Narayanan, the well known historian and a friend of Prof. Sreedharan.
Memories of my days at Malabar Christian College(1956-60) and memories about Prof.Sreedharan came flashing and flooded my mind. Keeping everything aside and shaking off my hesitation, I rushed to Calicut to see my old college and friends as I thought that the best way to offer my tributes to this great teacher on his death anniversary was to visit the institution he served with eminence where I also had the good fortune of being his student.
Even before joining the college in the academic year1956-57, as a student of M.C.C.High school, I had seen Prof.Sreedharan(just Sreedharan master for his innumerable students ,friends and colleagues), during the various activities of the college and the combined anniversary day of the college and the high school. We also used to see him playing tennis at the college tennis court.He used to be active on the college foot ball and the hockey grounds also. He was a hero to all of us.
When I joined the degree class in 1957 I became his student. Sreedharan Master, fair, handsome, not very tall but well built, always well dressed in a suit or with the shirt neatly tucked in and sporting a tie, with a smiling quizzical face and with thick black hair on the head neatly combed was an epitome of vigour, action and health. For the students he was not only a teacher of high calibre but also a true sportsman and a friend who always played with them and led them in the various sports and games activities for which the college gave a lot of importance. Whenever difficult problems cropped up, the management, staff community and the students looked to Sreedharan master as the trouble shooter for Sreedharan master's intervention always resulted in the problem getting solved to the satisfaction of all. Such was his reputation and standing among all in the college. Hailing from Mahe, a former French colony in India, he was well versed in French. It was he who took efforts and formed the N.C.C. wing at the college and he was in charge of the NCC wing for some time.
He was a strict disciplinarian and a 'no nonsense' teacher when once he entered the class room. We, the students of the Economics group,used to look forward to his classes in political science, a subsidiary subject for us. His rich sonorous voice, commanding personality, firm delivery of English,and the conviction with which he talked to us about Plato, Aristotle, Marx, Engels and on political theories made his classes profound and interesting. His lectures on Rights, Liberty, Sovereignty and Democracy and the Utilitarian Theory of Jeremy Bentham still echo in my memory.It was from Sreedharan Master that I first heard the famous quotation, "your liberty ends where my nose begins". When once he came out of the class room he became the usual friendly affectionate self ,mingling freely with us. In the evenings he joined with the students on the football ground for a serious and robust session of foot ball. In short all that a student longed to see in a teacher was there in abundance in Sreedharan Master, a gentleman to the core.
I left Christian College in 1960 and joined another local college for my post graduation but I used to meet Sreedharan Master often and visited his house on the 'Cannannore road' a couple of times. He always used to enquire about my job and my family etc. I left Calicut in 1970 and after about two decades came back at the local branch of S.B.I. A few days after my arrival I was delightfully surprised to see Sreedharan master entering my cabin with his usual smile and extended hand. I stood up, gripped his hand and offered him a chair. Even after he was seated I continued to stand in reverence ,unable to sit in front of him, till he waved me to sit just as he did in the class room long back.We talked for a few minutes about the college, former teachers and students of my days. Before he left I politely asked him as to what I could do for him at the bank. He said he had already finished his transactions and was on his way out. Of course, I should have known that there was no need for me to help as all the staff members were either his students or their relatives and whenever he visited the branch they vied with each other to expedite his banking transactions. He used to come to my cabin to shake hands with me whenever he visited the branch.
I left Calicut again in 1992 and did not meet him thereafter. I came to know about his demise days later after the event in 1999 when the Mathrubhumi daily reached me by post at Vijayawada (A.P.)
The O.S.A.'s get together went off well. The college is celebrating its centenary. The campus has retained the old grandeur. But more buildings have come up cramping the campus area. The football ground and the hockey ground are still there; so too the tennis court which lacks maintenance.Our old ball badminton court is now tiled and kept in good condition but used for conducting events. Several changes have come about in the layout; departments have changed locations. Sitting in the Main Hall(now named Dr.Muller's hall) , where the meeting was held, I read the inscription, 'The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom' which is still there on the wall behind the stage. To me everything seemed to be the same as of old. I went around the buildings and to the classroom where Prof Sreedharan used to take classes for us. The same old tables are still there in fairly good condition. I met a number of old college mates sharing memories. Before leaving I stood in the front portico for sometime gazing at the football ground. The gentle old campus breeze caressed me to a trance. I left with a heart full of gratitude for the institution and its old teachers to whom I am indebted to for whatever I could achieve in life.

MIRZA GHALIB - HIS GHAZALS.

In my collection of gramophone records, there are several records of Hindustani ghazals. One among them is a record specially released by 'The Gramophone Company of India' in connection with the Ghalib Centenary Celebrations in 1969. This is a record containing 11 songs from Minerva Movieton's film Mirza Ghalib(1954). Mirza Azadullah Beg Khan,whose pen name was Mirza Ghalib,was a legendary Urdu-Persian poet who lived in India(1797-1869) and his beautiful ghazals of love and philosophy have lived and flourished through generations and continue to be loved even today. According to knowledgeable ghazal lovers, no better poetry and ghazals had happened prior to Ghalib or after.

His ghazals were used in Hindi films and popularised by music directors like Khayyam and sung by great singers, especially Talat Mahmood in albums like "Ghazals to remember' and 'Memorable ghazals of Talat Mahmood' in his silken voice which make them a treat to the ears.

The film Mirza Ghalib, starring Bharat Bhushan as Ghalib and and Suraiya as his lover Chaudvin, contains eight popular ghazals of Ghalib tuned by music director Ghulam Mohammed sung mainly by Talat Mahmood and Suraiya. 'Phir mujhe deda-i-tar' and 'Wahshat sahi' by Talat Mahmood are soul stirring and has Talat at his best. 'Nukta cheen hai' and 'Aah ko chahiye ek umar 'are by Suraiya. There is also the most popular Ghalib ghazal, 'Yeh na thi hamari kismat' by Suraiya. A Rafi number, 'Hai baski har ek unke' embellishes this record, a great collectors' item.

Efforts to bring this great branch of music to Malayalam have been on since the days of music director M.S.Baburaj and P.Bhaskaran and are even now continued by Ramesh Narayanan,Umbayi, Shahbaz Aman etc. The limitations of the language and the initial reluctance ( as revealed by Umbayi in his interviews) of top Malayalam poets to allow their poems to be tuned as ghazals made Malayalam ghazals not reaching beyond the peripherals of Malayalam music.Who can forget Baburaj's ' Orupushpam mathram', 'Suruma Ezhuthiya mizhikale', and 'Pranasakhi' and several other songs?

Fortunately, things are changing for the better. Umbayi, Ramesh Narayan and Shahbaz Aman have come out with several albums of ghazals penned by Malayalam poets like O.N.V.Kurup,Yousufali Kechery, Sachithanandan, Pradeep Ashtamichira, Kamala Das,Vinayachandran, Kadammanita, Rafeeq Ahmed and others. Ghazal albums of Umbayi (songs sung by Umbayi himself and other singers) like Ghazalmala(Yousufali Kechery).Akale Mounampol(Sachidanandan), Ithuvare Sakhi ninne kathirunnu(Pradeep Ashtamichira) contain pleasing melodious ghazals. In association with O.N.V.Kurup Umbayi has brought out two albums,"Paaduka Saigal Paadoo' and 'Nandi Priyasakhi Nandi'. With the song 'Orunaru pushpamay' and his ghazals in films like RaathriMazha, Ramesh Narayan has given a new stimulus to ghazals in Malayalam. With his album 'Alakalkku', singer and composer Shahbaz Aman along with singer Gayathri has taken ghazals to a different plane in Malayalam by tuning the poetry of Kamala Das, Sachidanandan,Kadammanitta, D.Vinayachandran etc. His earlier album,'Neeyum Nilavum' with the poetry of Poovachal Khader and a few others also was a worthwhile effort.

No doubt the music lovers in Kerala are pleased with their efforts and the fact that more and more established and upcoming singers are taking up Hindustani music and ghazals very seriously. But, at the risk being accused of thinking backwards , I would have been happier if gramophone records of these ghazals are also made available. May be a futile wish.

Mont Blanc Pens. Mahatma Gandhi Series.

For pen lovers with bulging wallets and fat bank balances, Mont Blanc has recently come out with two limited series pens on Mahatma Gandhi, the Father of our Nation.

Mahatma Gandhi Limited Series 241 comes with a gold wire entwined around the middle of each pen symbolic of the yarn and spindle of Gandhi. It costs only Rs.14 lakhs! Hurry! Only 241 pieces are available for sale!

Mahatma Gandhi Limited Series 3000 available both as a fountain pen and roller ball pen cost Rs. 1.7 lakhs for the pen and R.1.5 lakhs for roller ball pen. Only 3000 pieces each are available world wide.

Pen lovers would have heard about this. Still a paper cutting is shown here.


Tail piece:-About two decades back I had collected a souvenir from Gandhiji's Sabarmati Ashram, Ahmedabad. It is a ball point pen costing Rs.5/- To me its sentimental value is far beyond the price quoted by Mont Blanc for its pen!!!

kerala cafe--a new experiment in Malayalam cinema

It was after a long time that we, myself and wife, overlooking several inhibiting factors, decided to see the Malayalam movie 'Kerala Cafe' at the local theatre for a morning show(the film now available only as morning show here) The film was described as a new experiment in Malayalam cinema as it was a combination of 10 different films of about15 minutes each and we thought it would be a different cinematic experience.

Our hopes were not belied. It is a film different from the ordinary. Of course, we had seen films in two or three parts like for eg.,' Mera Nam Joker'. But the difference here is that the 10 different stories are told by 10 different directors including a newcomer, award winners, women directors and directors of proven ability. These 10 films are beautifully presented by director Ranjith making us feel that it is a wholesome single film. It is like reading a book of 10 short stories and in the end feeling like having read a novel.

The stories dealt with contemporary Malayalee life . The pravasi [non resident]experience ,recession, middle class worries, hardship faced by women, child trafficking, problems of the aged, fascination for the supernatural etc., have all been dealt subtly and with telling effect.

Padmakumar's 'Nattu vazhikal' depicts the true life and,often acquired, character of a Malayalee non resident played effectively by Dileep in a fast paced movie. In 'Mrithyunjaya', it was good to see the director [Udaya Anandan] not tempted to take the trouble of solving the mystery of the unnatural but the story , with a beautiful tinge of love at first sight ,kept open ,leaving the audience sure that it will be solved by Anup Menon and his friend.

The heroine of 'Happy Journey', a modern, bold, self reliant girl[a human bomb!],is a great relief for parents and grandparents who wait for their arrival. Anjali Menon's deft handling of the theme and the casting of Jagathy as the girl's middle-aged tormentor are excellent. The ill-equipped Portuguese couple in film 'Off Season' [director Syam Prasad] visiting India searching for a job, in the wake of global recession, the millionaire doing 'sheershasana' on the sand and the stray[slum?] dog sniffing at his face to his great discomfort and the group dance of the characters at the end with one of them carrying the dog in his hands all showed humour at its best. The fast paced film has Suraj Venjaramood cut out for the role of the unemployed tout.

Revathy's 'Makal' dealing with child trafficking is very touching with beautiful locations and picturisation though familiar cliche like the 'peacock feather' could have been avoided.'The Bridge' directed by Anwar Rasheed and 'Lalitha Hiranmayam' of Shaji Kailas were also soul stirring. These films showed that we have two highly talented actors in Salim Kumar [The Bridge] and Jyothir mayi[Lalitha Hiran mayam]. Infact the talents of Salim Kumar for serious roles, proved in film 'Achanurangatha Veedu' has once again come to the fore in 'The Bridge'. Jyothirmayi is great in her short role as the jilted wife. Pity that we see her only rarely in Malayalam films.

The last film of Kerala cafe, 'Veritta Kashchakal', showing the journey of a bus and its passengers all of whom except one were in a relaxed fun loving mood . The one tense looking traveller, played by a deglamourized Mammootty whose entire dialogue consisted of shouting thrice , one to start the bus, then at the delay at a stop and finally to stop the bus at a 'turning' of his convenience , though an exception in the crowd becomes a part of it when the poignancy of his impatience became evident after he got down from the bus.

We were hoping for more but the movie was over and the titles started rolling on the screen and we were back in the reality of the surroundings. All, except the two of us ,had left the hall. We wanted to read the titles. But fearing that the door man may, by mistake, lock us in we also walked out; the first to enter and the last to exit but pleased and full of hope for the future of Malayalam cinema.

MANNA DEY - THE LIVING LEGEND.

Indian music world in recent weeks saw the honouring of the 90 year old singer, Manna Dey, with the Dada Saheb Phalke Award [2007], the highest honour in Indian cinema. Padma Booshan Manna Dey who ruled Hindi Film Music world in the 50s ,60s, and 70s along with Rafi, Mukesh, Kishore, Talat, Mahendra Kapoor and Hemant Kumar is the last of these legends still living and is the last link[male] that connects the present with that golden era of film music. It is heartening that this living legend continues to be active in music and stage programmes as seen from reports that he was in USA in connection with a cultural programme when the award was announced.

The news about the award made me refresh my memories of those excellent Manna Dey songs we grew up listening to and a few stage programmes of his in the 60s which I was fortunate to watch.The image of Manna Dey singing and playing the harmonium is still in my memory. Lovers of Hindi film music are fully aware of those immortal songs of Manna Dey and a lot has already been written about them. Let me confine myself to a few aspects /features of his music which come to my mind readily.

1. Brought to Bombay's film world from Calcutta by his uncle, the famous music director and singer K.C.Dey, Manna Dey's first song was for the film Tamanna( Music by K.C.Dey), a duet with Suraiya. But it was his song 'Upar Gagan Vishal' from film 'Mashal'(1980-S.D.Burman) that got him the first real break in Hindi films.

2. While Manna Dey is at his best while rendering classical and semi-classical songs, it will be unfair to type him as such.He is a versatile singer who is at ease with any song, be it qwawali,bhajan,chorus, fast numbers, hilarious numbers or romantic songs. The sweetness of his voice is, in fact, suited more for melodies especially romantic melodies. Songs like ,'Yeh raat bheegi bheegi'(Chori Chori), 'Quasme wade pyar wafa'(Uphar), 'Chale Jaa Rahe hain(Kinare Kinare-Music Jaidev),' Kaun aaya mere man ke dware'(Dekh Kabira Roya-Madan Mohan),'Aye mere pyare watan'(Kabuliwallah-Salil Choudhury),'Ek Samay par do barsaati'(Jhoola-Salil Choudhury) are a few examples. In fact the song 'Ek Samay' is so soft and sweet that one may doubt it as a song of Talat!

3. While his romantic solo songs are very popular, there are several outstanding duets like 'Aaja sanam madhur chaandni', with Lata (Chori Chori), 'Mere dil mei hai ek baat' with Lata(Post Box .999), 'Zulfon ki khada lekar' with Asha(Reshmi our Rumal-music Babul), 'Tum gagan ke chandma'with Lata(Sati Savitri), "Jhoomta mausam mast mahina' with Lata(Ujala)etc.There are two other beautiful duets of his with Suman Kalyanpur, known as poor man's Lata. One is ,'Najane kaha tum se'(film zindagi aur Khwab-Music Duttaram) and the other , the romantic,'Tum jo aao to pyaar aa jaye' (Sakhi Robin Music Robin Banerje).

4. Another noteworthy contribution of Manna Dey is the numerous chorus songs he had sung with all the great singers. It even appeared that there cannot be a hit chorus without Manna Dey singing in it. " Hariyala sawan dhol bhajata aaya'(Do Bhiga Zameen)with Lata and chorus, Mud mudke na dekh mud mud ke' with Asha(Shree 420),'Tu pyar ka sagar hai(Seema),'Chad gayo papi bichhua'(Madhumati),and the two beautiful quawalis from film Barsat ki Raat,viz., 'To Karavan ke talash hai' and 'Yeh hai ishq ishq' and 'Ek Chatur Nar' with Kishore Kumar and Mahmood in film Padosan are a few examples.

5.Manna Dey's strength and range in singing classical and semiclassical songs are well known.The first song coming to my mind is the song 'Sur na saje kya ' (Basant Bahar) one of the best in this genre. 'Laga chunari' from film Dil Hi To Hai (Music-Roshan),'Tu Pyar ka Sagar hai'(Seema), a beautiful bhajan, 'Chum chum bhaje re payaliya'(Film Jane Anjane-Music Shankar Jaikishan)Poochona kaise maine'(Film Meri Surat Teri Ankhen-S.D.Burman) etc. all show Manna Dey's prowess. Though Manna Dey had sung for all the leading Music Directors of that era, it was Shankar Jaikishan who could bring out the best from Manna Dey. Films like Seema,Shree 420, Chori Chori,Ujala,Tesri Kasam,Boot Polish,Choti Bahen and Basant Bahar are a few examples.Writer Ravi Menon in his article on the late maestro, Pt.Bhimsen Joshi, had written how Manna Dey was selected for singing the song, "Chetaki Gulab juhi', in film Basant Bahar, with Pt.Bhimsen Joshi. I wonder how the great singer could have agreed to sing it with Manna Dey, how a diffident Manna Dey was persuaded to shake off his fear to sing with the maestro and how Pt. Bhimsen Joshi praised Manna Dey for his excellent rendering after recording the song!! Of course, this song remains as one of the best classical duets of all time.

6. Manna Dey has a special place in the hearts of Keralites for two reasons. One, his wife ,Smt. Sulochana is from Kerala. Two, his song, Maanasa Maine Varoo'from the President's Gold Medal winning Malayalam film,'Chemmeen'(Music: Salil Choudhury)is a favourite film of all Keralites.

Manna Dey faded from Hindi film music scene in the 80s and started concentrating on Bengali songs and stage programmes. In a few interviews he had mentioned about his inability to gel with the changing trends in Hindi film music and his desire to be away from the scene. A big loss for Hindi film music and its followers.

Malayalam Film Gulmohar-A different Experience.

It is a fact that, for various reasons, going to a theatre to see a movie is becoming something to be better avoided.People in general and old generation in particular prefer to see a film in the comforts of their living room. It appears that, these days, films are seen more on laptops than on the wide screen .No wonder that recent statistics show a dwindling number of cinema theatres in state.
But in spite of the enforced reluctance to visit a theatre, sometimes, there comes a compelling urge to see a film on the wide screen. After all, one has to admit, that movies are made for seeing on the wide screen and there is no substitute yet for that experience. One such film I wanted to see was the Malayalam film 'Gulmohar' directed by Jayaraj. Its pre-release publicity and write-ups in film magazines and the fact that music director Johnson was composing music for the lyrics of Sri O.N.V.Kurup might have been the factors behind my desire. But, unfortunately, the film, to my disappointment, vanished from the local theatre with in a day or two before I could watch it.

Happily for me the film 'Gulmohar' was recently telecast by one of the regional channels. Its impact on the serious viewers may not be as strong as that of some of the other films reflecting the failed Naxal movement of the 60s in Kerala like Hariharan's 'Panchagni' and Shaji N.Karun's national award winning film 'Piravi'. But still 'Gulmohar' was a different and refreshing experience reminding me of some of the Shyam Benegal films of the 70sand 80s like Ankur,Nishant, Mandhan, Mandi, Bhoomika etc., What made it different from the run of the mill is the simple, down to earth way of telling the story and the cast of the film, viz., Ranjith[the director who gave us Thirakadha' and Nandanam], Meenu Mathews, Nishant Sagar, Siddique, Jayakrishnan etc who gave the film a refreshingly different look sparing the audience the monotony of seeing familiar faces. While the entire cast has done their job well, the subdued performance of Meenu Mathews, a new comer, as the female interest of the protagonist of the film was very impressive.

But what I liked most about the film was the music of Johnson . The song,' Orunaal SubhaRathri Neerunnu poyi nee'; ithile oru pookinavay vanna nee', penned by Sri O.N.V.Kurup sung by Vijai Yesudas and Swetha Mohan is one of the best songs heard in recent times reminding us the much apreaciated composition of Johnson viz., 'Onnu thodan ullil theeramoham' from film Yathrakkarude Sradhakku. The song was sung solo by Jayachandran and Jyotsna. It also reminded me of Johnson's song from the film Photographer,'Kadalolam novukalil' sung by Chitra. When good duets are rare nowadays, the song 'Orunal' with Johnson's class writ all over it, is a beautiful duet. Interestingly a very popular and award winning song , again a duet, ' Kolakuzhal vili Kettu ', from film Nivedhyam [music by M. Jayachandran.] was also sung by Vijay Yesudas and Swetha.This also brings to my mind another soulful duet, 'Bhasuri shruthi' sung by Sujatha and Sreenivas in Lenin Rajendran's 'Rathri Mazha ' with music by Ramesh Narayan.

It is a pity that the film Gulmohar , like many other films of this genre,viz.,Thalappavu, Orekadal, Rathrimazha ,Naithukaran ,Akale, Pulijanmam ,Ente Hridayathinde Udama etc., did not prove popular and commercially successful and abruptly vanished from theatres. The music cassettes /CDs/MP3s of Gulmohar were not available in local music shops at the time of its release even though downloaded /pirated versions were available .The song is also not heard in any of the endless reality music shows on regional channels. Changing times , changing tastes!
http://vellithiramusic.net/?p=576
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bv3LfgZxdGg
Tail piece:- A few endangered/extinct/obsolete/unfashionable names---- Art films, Parallel cinema,New wave cinema,Film society, Children's'film..........