I Am Kalam

<p>This is the story of a boy, Chotu, from a poor family who works as a child labourer at a highway-side cafe (aka dhaba). Irrespective of the problems in his life, he is a happy child with a simple dream to become someone like Dr. . The plot has the protagonist Chotu being sent to a dhaba to work and earn for the family. Here, he befriends the royal heir, Rannvijay, of a neighbouring resort’s owner, who’s his age. Ranvijay’s character showcases that money, royal blood, and luxury are a privilege but do not contribute to the happiness and joy childhood demands. A beautiful character of modern thoughts has been portrayed through Ranavijay, who doesn’t believe in the caste system and protests against restricted education for the underprivileged. Moreover, the friendship between Chotu and Ranvijay glorifies the importance of having a true friend in life. Every day, Chotu dreams of wearing a tie and uniform to go to school, just like Rannvijay, as he has an unusual thirst for education and knowledge. He then chances upon the Republic Day Parade and Dr. Kalam’s salutation march. Curious, he finds out about the president and instantly decides to become like him. From here, he begins to call himself Kalam. As the story progresses, he meets a foreign woman who tries to convince his mother to let him study as he is a bright kid, but since the family’s circumstances aren’t in favour, he is denied an education. As a consequence, Chotu decides to run away to Delhi to meet the President and give him a letter. In this, he writes about how he wants to become like the President of India and thanks Dr. Kalam for making him realise his dreams. Meanwhile, everyone from his family comes running after Chotu to find him in the new city. They finally track him down, and a relieved Rannvijay and jealous Chotu hug each other with joy. In the end, Rannvijay’s father offers Chotu’s mother work at his resort, and he agrees to pay for Chotu’s education and send him to the same school as Rannvijay. That is when Chotu says he wants to pay for his education on his own, and the movie ends with both Chotu aka Kalam and Rannvijay boarding the school bus in their school uniforms. The film was shot in , Rajasthan of India. released in India screens on 5 August 2011. A special screening was held for at his Delhi residence on 29 July. The film was acquired and distributed by . of praised the acting performances of all actors especially Harsh Mayar who played the character of Kalam. Masand also complimented the script which he felt was very well written because it integrated a very important message about education in its screenplay without being melodramatic. Masand gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5. Mayank Shekhar of found the film to be “sweet and engaging” and gave it a rating of 3 out of 5 appreciating its realistic nature. Shubhra Gupta of gave the film a rating of 3.5 out of 5 while praising its good intentions and the performances of all actors. of praised the positive nature of the film but found the pacing to be slow. Namrata gave the film a rating of 2 out of 5 saying that “It’s a straight, simple story with no great highs and lows”. Amy L. Hayden of found the film “heartwarming and inspirational” but felt that American kids might not be able to relate to it. The film was rated 4.60 on 5 by audiences at the Transilvania International Film Festival. The Times of India gave it 4.5 stars out of 5, commented ” It’s inspirational, intelligent, topical and entertaining too. More importantly, it brims over with heart and soul, leaving no one untouched with its simple message of providing an equal opportunity”. DNA also gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, saying “At a little over 90 minutes, is a gripping watch that leaves you feeling uplifted and positive”.</p>