The first act is directed by Deepa Bhatt: “Nothing should come at the cost of childhood” | web series

First Act, available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, takes a look at the lives of the industry’s child actors. Spanning 6 episodes, director Deepa Bhatia maintains an empathetic and quietly disturbing look at the reality of parenthood, where child acting at such a young age often hides a toxic rejection of the idea of ​​parental success. (Also Read: Mona Singh Interview: “All the work I have done this year is because of Laal Singh Chadha”)

In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, director Deepa Bhatia spoke about the process of making the series – how the tapestry of perspectives that would anchor the show was a decision that evolved along the way and the need of the industry as well as parents. Introspection in dealing with children.

Tell me a little bit about the origins of the first act. When did you first realize you wanted to document this story?

Amol (Gupte, filmmaker) makes films with children, so there was a constant interaction with parents, children, actors… aspirants in this profession. There was a realization that there is a desperate need to be in the spotlight. Sometimes, does that urge get a little too much? I thought to start studying this terrain. Let me start meeting with casting directors, start meeting with parents… let me start with these auditions and different shoots.

When I started learning about it, I started shooting a lot… I would just go around with my cameraman friend and we would just go and shoot everything. Then I realized that there really is a tapestry that needs to be woven and presented to the viewer.

Then, I was lucky enough that Amazon saw the merit and they came on board so I could be more specific and add more depth to the subject matter. So it really started with the relationship with the parents when they would meet Amol, and I started to feel that there’s something here, which is that the space between the parents is wondering if the child wants to do something like that, but it seems like that. parents themselves. This was the genesis of everything.

The first act combines the experiences of several child actors and their parents. Was there a structure to begin with?

No, I think we had some flexibility. We knew we wanted to do it like a TV series because I was sure we wanted to cover the length of time. I didn’t want to take a shortcut because you never know what really happened until you put in the time. I wanted length… I wanted to give it 2-3 years, see what happens. Just be there, watch, see things evolve. There was no rush. So it was certain that I wanted to take my time. I am grateful that Amazon gave me this time. Nobody wanted to take that shortcut.

As you see these little ones embark on their journey, I thought it would be interesting to introduce the narrative through the experiences of people who have been there and done that. I thought it would be a very interesting marriage between the past and the present. Somewhere, if they tell you it happened to me, you start to predict, or you start to understand what was the danger and what was the positive. Just like Darsheel (Safar, Taare Zameen Pari star) talks about the wonderful time he had with his early successes. It helped me to perceive the experience – good, difficult, bad… any words that fit. So yes, I was distinctly aware of the past informing the present.

The first act is also about the crazy hours the kid puts into the project. Who takes responsibility for the rules laid down by NCPCR for children is perhaps a necessary question. I would like to know your opinion on this.

I think there are 2-3 things here… see the rules apply… there are even shooting rules. The number of hours children can be on the floor is limited, there must be a break time, a tutor on the set. The NCPCR guidelines are stepping up and making it a bit more stringent… now with their new guidelines. But the government has set the principles and the framework exists. I think it comes down to us being the film industry that implements it. I think we have to make an effort now, where we are very well aware. Even today, when we go to foreign countries for shooting and we have Indian children, we have to stop for 5 hours. They don’t even allow you to take a minute of extra footage. I have seen it in the work I have done. We follow that the rules apply.

I think now is the time to realize and own it. To listen, the well-being of the child is important. Once you get the hang of it, it’s not that hard. I think it’s about the industry being a little more mindful. Many people are very, very kind and considerate with children. It is not that this is the rule. A lot of things happen very nicely, especially with the bigger production houses that have better resources to take care of the children. This also applies to self-government. You know Bachcha hain set pe, apko apna attitude change karna padega (If there is a child on the set, his attitude should also be changed). I have seen with “Amol”, where we shot 5 films with children. Not a single child has missed a single day of school, not a single child has been auditioned. None of them were on set for more than 4 hours. I think it is not difficult at all. We have done it ourselves, even in a film like Saina, where the challenges are different. Even then, no one ever tried school, no one had to sacrifice their academic and normal life for the project. So I think that’s the priority that has to come from us now.

Before I watched the first act, I was only aware of what the parents were saying about what it was actually showing. There is a scene where a parent tells her that we are doing the audition because the child wants to do it, but we see that there are too many cases where the child doesn’t want to do it. I was wondering if any of the child actors and their parents had seen the show and what their reactions were.

They’ve all seen it because it’s streaming and everyone knows about it. I have a very nice relationship with all the kids who are a part of the show and in fact, before it airs, we discuss what the stories are. This is what they told me, this is what I did not ask from anyone. It is there and the interviews are there. So they know. It’s their thought process and sometimes I think they feel that if they push the child, there will be results. It doesn’t all come from a harmful place. It comes from thinking that “well, I have to motivate my child and then everything will fall into place”. It’s no different than how we push our kids to play sports or do engineering! We do this as parents, where we force a lot on our child. We make them very comfortable in their role as performance pets.

All my children, they shared their stories with me, they trusted me with their narratives. They know what we are talking about. What we cover in the show. That part is there, now I just hope that they show a little more sensitivity about how to involve their children in this profession in a more balanced and controlled way. So, I just hope that when they see it, they think about it. If they can look back and look at it through that lens and ask, “How much did it take?” Nothing should happen at the cost of childhood. If you can keep the balance, then it’s a very beautiful world. It gives you a chance to dream, to make it happen. So the key is to make sure there is a balance.

And finally, what you hope the audience – not just parents, but the entire industry – can take away from the first act.

I think the show says everything I want to talk about. If you’ve been on set and have kids, we all know how that goes. No one can say it never happened. We know we tend to push the boundaries a bit. So for the industry, I hope it’s about introspection. This is an age group that has no agency, with no one speaking for them. They are silent. Are they on set or at home with their parents? They often cannot express themselves freely. So I hope that for the parents, things are balanced, and for the industry, that children on set are a serious priority.

For the general audience, I’ve been getting feedback where a lot of people who have watched it have told me that it’s also about parenting at the end of the day. I find that many people relate to the first act on this level as well. It’s not just about child actors, it’s also about parents and children. It’s a kind of encouragement that I get and also, I hope the industry and parents get the show.

The First Act was released on Amazon Prime Video on December 15th.

Have fun! Have fun! Have fun! 🎞️🍿💃 Click to follow us Whatsapp channel 📲 Daily dose of gossip, movies, shows, celebrities updated in one place.