Children’s Day: 10 memorable Bollywood films

New Delhi: Children have always been a huge draw for Indian filmmakers and Hindi cinema particularly has never shied from creating content for them. From animation to comedies to superhero flicks, Bollywood has always had much to offer the young ones. On the occasion of Children’s Day, here’s a look at 10 memorable children’s films.

1. Masoom (1983): Shekhar Kapur’s adaptation of Erich Segal’s novel Man, Woman and Child starred Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi and then-child actors Urmila Matondkar and Jugal Hansraj in lead roles. The film made Rs1.2 crore in box office collections.

2. Mr. India (1987): Shekhar Kapur’s film, starring Anil Kapoor, Sridevi and Amrish Puri, was the story of an impoverished musician bringing up a bunch of orphaned children who moonlights as a benevolent invisible superhero. The film whose songs and dialogues have acquired cult status over the years netted Rs6 crore at the box office.

3. Anjali (1990): Mani Ratnam’s Tamil film on a dying mentally disabled child featured Raghuvaran, Revathi and Shamili in lead roles. The film that won three national awards including one for best child artiste, was dubbed into Hindi and Telugu under the same name and netted Rs62 lakh at the box office.

4. Halo (1996): Director Santosh Sivan’s critically acclaimed film saw child actor Benaf Dadachandji play a seven-year-old child searching for her lost puppy on the streets of Mumbai. The film that won the National Award for Best Children’s Film and a special mention for its young lead, was first relayed on Doordarshan and made it to theatres much later.

5. Chachi 420 (1997): Kamal Haasan directed and played the lead in the remake of American comedy Mrs. Doubtfire, which also starred Tabu and Amrish Puri in pivotal roles. The film, which was about a divorcee who disguises himself as an old lady to see his daughter more often, earned Rs8 crore at the box office.

6. Chhota Chetan (1998): The Hindi dubbed version of the 1984 Malayalam hit My Dear Kuttichathan, which was India’s first 3D release, featured Urmila Matondkar, Satish Kaushik, Shakti Kapoor and Ravi Baswani in lead roles who shot for additional scenes for the new film. The Jijo-directed movie made Rs1.30 crore at the box office.

7. Makdee (2002): Vishal Bharadwaj’s comedy horror film saw Shabana Azmi and child actor Shweta Prasad bring alive a rustic tale woven around witchcraft in modern India. The film that won Prasad the National Award for Best Child Artiste earned Rs71 lakh at the box office.

8. Koi…Mil Gaya (2003): Director Rakesh Roshan’s science fiction film starred son Hrithik as a mentally challenged youth who befriends an alien, drawing parallels to the 1982 Hollywood hit E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The film, which swept most awards that season and has spawned the successful Krrish series, made Rs18 crore in box office collections.

9. Taare Zameen Par (2007): Aamir Khan’s directorial debut was the story of a dyslexic child (Darsheel Safary) who comes into his own aided by his kind art teacher played by Khan. The film won young Safary several awards that season and made Rs37 crore at the box office.

10. Bhootnath (2008): Director Vivek Sharma’s comedy horror film saw Amitabh Bachchan play a friendly ghost to child actor Aman Siddiqui. The film, which also stars Juhi Chawla in a pivotal role and spawned a sequel in 2014, made Rs23 crore at the box office.

All figures have been sourced from movie websites Bollywood Hungama and IBOS Network.