‘Maya – Find Your Light’, ‘Secret Superstar’, ‘Mira - Royal Detective’, ‘Nil Battey Sannata’ and many other films have been some of the most loved and stirring productions of stories centered around the girl child.
From a very young age, girls have effortlessly claimed the spotlight across multiple facets of their lives with remarkable finesse. What was once impossible is now effortlessly achieved by girls, inspiring even older women to take charge of their lives fearlessly.
As the world celebrates International Day Of Girl Child, here we pick a few movies and shows that share the stories of these brave girls in our lives:
That Barbie and Elsa have been a part of girls' powerful and womanly transformations is known. Maya Find Your Light is a similar Zee Theatre teleplay set in a lush kingdom where Maya is a 13-year-old girl with three curses to dispel. She is a character of strength as she embarks on a heroic mission through rocky forests, towering mountains, and quaint villages to defeat the evil king of darkness, accompanied by the pendant of bravery bestowed upon her by her friends and family. Filmed by Laurent Festas and Sanaya Bharucha, this kid's drama features Khushi Chauhan, Prasad Kela, Priyanka Patil, Rutuja Bhoite, Shlok Sadlapurkar, Yash Agarwal, and Aniket Sahani.
Insia, AKA Secret Superstar, is living the best of both worlds in school and at home as a singer. However, her rigid and abusive father wants the young girl to only stick to school and not engage in external activities whatsoever. Insiya maintains her passion for music and begins to post her renditions online anonymously. Soon, she experiences massive admiration from her listeners but struggles to keep up due to her father's restrictions. How she goes about it and becomes a successful superstar, crossing the bridge of her family's complexities is truly inspiring. Directed by Advait Chandan, the film features a talented cast- Zaira Wasim, Aamir Khan, Raj Arjun, Meher Vij, Tirth Sharma, and Monali Thakur. It is available to stream on OTT Play.
In the past, girl-centered shows and movies often predominantly featured fair-skinned and highly polished characters. However, times have changed, and now we see a shift towards greater diversity and representation. One striking example is "Mira, Royal Detective," an American CGI-animated mystery series where the titular character, Mira, takes centre stage. Mira is a determined young girl who becomes a royal detective in India after solving a mystery that protects the kingdom's young prince. This show, being the first with an Indian protagonist on Disney Junior, does an excellent job of authentically portraying various aspects of Indian culture. Directed by Becca Topol, it is available for streaming on Disney Junior.
Meaning "knowing nothing," this film is a hard-hitting yet heartwarming production that explores the delicate bond between a young girl, Apeksha, and her aspirations. When topped with her mother Chanda's dreams, the film unrolls as a sentimental piece, merging two lives into one where Apeksha believes that she can't achieve much in her life, and Chanda wants to take on the challenge. Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari, the masterpiece features Swara Bhaskar, Riya Shukla, Ratna Pathak, Pankaj Tripathi, and Sanjay Suri and is available to stream on JioCinema.