Little Thomas marks Anurag Kashyap's return to children's film genre after 17 years; Gulshan Devaiah-Rasika Duggal starrer heads to Indian Film Festival of Melbourne for world premiere

Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap, known for his globally acclaimed titles such as Gangs of Wasseypur, Ugly and Kennedy, is ready with his next production venture Little Thomas. The film is headlined by two of India's finest actors, Gulshan Devaiah and Rasika Duggal, joined by child artist Hridansh Parekh in the charming comedy drama.

"Yes, it’s been a while. Maybe I was waiting for a good children’s film script to come my way," Kashyap says on why he took 17 years to return to this space after his animated directorial Return of Hanuman (2007). "It’s a difficult genre actually, to make an authentic children’s film, so one has to ensure that it’s a good script before making it," the filmmaker adds.

Little Thomas is set to have its world premiere at the upcoming Indian Film Festival of Melbourne. Besides Kashyap, the film is backed by Ranjan Singh, Rajnikant Oza, Charu Oza, Anushka Shah and Kabir Ahuja.

In Little Thomas, Kashyap was impressed by the vision of the National Award winning director Kaushal Oza, who makes his feature directorial debut with the film that follows the tragi-comic efforts of a seven-year-old boy to bring his parents together and have a little brother.

Kashyap says, "I had seen Kaushal’s short 'The Miniaturist of Junagadh' and liked it. Then I read the Little Thomas script and understood his vision for it. He wanted to make a genuine children’s film while creating a world from a kid’s perspective. The honesty of his approach has helped make the film."

Set in the Goa of the 90s, the film follows Thomas, the only child of his parents, who desperately wants a little brother. "One day, he is told that to get a baby brother his parents will have to kiss. Since his quarrelling parents won't kiss any longer, Little Thomas takes it upon himself to make them do the yucky act!" the film's synopsis reads.

Actor Gulshan Devaiah, who made his debut in Anurag Kashyap's That Girl in Yellow Boots (year) and went on to collaborate with him on projects like Shaitan (2011) and Hunterrr (2015), describes Little Thomas as a film that "puts a smile on my face."

"It’s a sweet, cute film and I am thrilled it’s going to be showing at IFFM. The most special thing about Little Thomas is its story and the beautiful innocence in its world. Rasika is a wonderful actor, who I’ve admired for a while now. She’s very professional and dedicated to the craft. I was lucky I got to work with her," Gulshan says.

Calling Little Thomas "a beautiful and lyrical story" about the simple life of a Goan family, actor Rasika Duggal says, "I was drawn to the script of Little Thomas because I felt it was a beautiful and simple story yet wasn't simplistic. Technology has given us so much to play within filmmaking that sometimes, I feel the soul of a film gets drowned in the razzmatazz. Little Thomas was not doing any of that. It was committing to its narrative without any unnecessary frills. Also, the script had an interesting sense of humour, which I enjoyed very much. I am delighted that the film is premiering at IFFM and it will first be watched by the kind of audience that a festival like IFFM always attracts - a discerning audience with an ample appetite for fun. I am looking forward to how they will respond to our film."

Director Kaushal Oza, an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India says the team auditioned over 700 kids to find Thomas and the gang.

The filmmaker adds, "Everyone has been a seven-year-old once in their lives. When we grow up we miss the innocence of the times we were kids. I wanted to capture the innocence and imagination that we had then and yearned for now. Everyone who read the script loved it, but producing a film like this is a challenge. When this team of producers read the script - they laughed, they cried - they backed it to the hilt. Also casting the kids was the biggest challenge."

Little Thomas is produced by Luminoso Pictures, Civic Studios, Flip Films and Good Bad Films.

Producer Ranjan Singh (Flip Films) recalls reading the script of Little Thomas in 2018, which is also when he decided to produce the film. "It seemed like an authentic children’s film which I have missed over so many years. Also, I had co-produced Kaushal’s short, The Miniaturist of Junagadh, and showed it to Anurag and other producers and it really helped when I took Little Thomas’ script to them."

Anushka Shah, producer, Civic Studios, dubs Little Thomas as a "refreshingly delightful story". She says, "Thomas’ boundless imagination, curiosity and resilience could positively shape children’s mindsets in formative years - an important reason for Civic Studios to back this film. We’re sure Little Thomas will be a heart-warming family watch for children and adults."

Also starring Hridyansh Gokani, Ninad Pandith and Mahabanoo Mody- Kotwal, Little Thomas will have its festival run before its theatrical release in the country.

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