A silent rendition of the national anthem by children with hearing and speech impairment is now being played at cinema halls and on television channels.
A silent rendition of the national anthem by children with hearing and speech impairment is now being played at cinema halls and on television channels. Nearly 500 special children from eight schools in city have “sung” the anthem in sign language.
“The idea is to urge Indians to rid themselves of prejudices against those who are different from us,” says Bobby Pawar, chief creative officer of the Mudra Group, the company that has created the video. It was released on Republic Day. “It intends to convey the spirit of unity despite the diversity in language, culture or physical ability,” he added.
Directed by Amit Sharma of Chrome Pictures, the video was shot at the Don Bosco School. The children had rehearsals and workshops for nine days before the final shoot. They were helped by teachers who trained them in lip reading and enacting the anthem in sign language.
The background music is by Micu Patel while the post-production work has been done by Reliance Mediaworks. The film is being shown on television channels and at BIG Cinemas chain of multiplexes in Maharashtra.
The makers insisted that they came up with the idea because they wanted Indians to silently reflect on how they feel about the country.
“The anthem is played in theatres before every movie. We wanted to make people do more than just stand and sing along. We wanted them to reflect upon their patriotic and humanitarian sentiments,” said Pawar.
The message will be carried forward through the internet on social networking sites such as Facebook and Youtube. The makers added that they are planning it to be a long-term initiative. “This is going to be a mass movement. Generating dialogue was just the first step towards acknowledging the prejudices we harbour,” said Pawar.
Not featuring professional actors in the film was a conscious decision by Sharma. The subject and the kids had to be handled sensitively without losing the impact of the message that was being conveyed.
“The silent national anthem is an evocative and moving expression of patriotism and we hope that audiences are able to identify with this unique composition,” said Anil Arjun, chief executive officer, Reliance MediaWorks.
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