The front/main page of Wikipedia imparts something new and interesting, yet again.
Did you know…that Kishan Shrikanth, age ten, is in the process of directing a Kannada-language feature film, C/o Footpath, which will almost certainly make him the youngest director ever to release a commercial feature film? [wiki]
I’ll save you the trouble of getting all wiki’d out; Kishan’s entire entry (save one redundant sentence) is below:
Kishan Shrikanth (born 6 January 1996), professionally known as Kishan or Master Kishan, is a Kannada-language actor from India. As of January 2006, having acted in some twenty films, he is in the process of directing a feature film, C/o Footpath (Care of Footpath), about an orphaned boy who wants to go to school. The cast includes prominent Indian actors Jackie Shroff, Saurabh Shukla, and Thaara.[1] Kishan will, himself, play the lead. [wiki]
The Guinness Book of Records currently lists Sydney Ling as the youngest person to direct a professional feature film. Ling was thirteen in 1973 when he directed the Dutch film Lex the Wonderdog.[wiki]
Upon reading that bit of information, I pondered how desis LOVE them some record-breaking and I wondered why no one brown had attempted this feat before.
So why did little Kishan choose this goal?
“I prefer directing to acting because of the creativity it affords me. From the beginning, I used to ask my directors about the technical aspects of the film, and hound the cameramen to show me their art. I want to continue directing and have already finalised the script for my next film, which will be a Hindi film,” he says.[rediff]
This diminutive auteur is the real deal:
“He is such a genius that I had to work in his film,” Jackie says. “He is constantly thinking about his next shot, constantly innovating to make it better. He is only nine years old, but he is sure about what he wants from his actors.”[rediff]
Now THAT’S impressive.
All desi movies seem to be directed by 10 year olds. Master or not, must be some pampered brat.
O_O Holy crap.
hi..u’ve got a very entertaining ‘n informative blog…keep up the good work…cheers
awwww. 🙂
that is so nice of you to comment. thanks!
Mani writes:
ROTFLMAO!! True. Very true.
Now this is totally uncalled for. Child prodigies are rarely pampered. On the contrary, they are usually pushed by their parents.
M. Nam
I am sure that this kid is a genius but is it just me or does his statement
sound a little too articulate for a ten year old?
This makes it two stories about kid protegees from India…anyone remember that three year old marathon runner?
This is totally impressive. And then, second reaction, it’s a sign of things to come. Seems like pretty soon everyone everywhere at every age will be able to make a movie. Five year olds in kindergarden will learn the basics of camerawork (like, say, learning how to use a telephone now), and by third grade it’ll be part of their homework. The form/style/technique will become increasingly sophisticated. Little Spielbergs running about. This kid is like a pioneer…and I think there will be many more to come.
And then, at that point, it’ll come back to content, and therefore the maturity of the artist. It won’t be remarkable, or even uncommon, that a 10 year old is making a movie. It’ll be remarkable if it’s any good. (Has anyone read a good novel by a teenager?)
Hehehe. You know, whilst most Indian films SEEM to be directed by kids, perhaps if they were we’d be getting better stuff. The same old tired, hackneyed and unimaginative directors. If ‘Bollywood’ (meaning high budget Indian cinema) had an injection of youth it could only be a good thing. I thought Farhan Akthar etc were exciting, but then I learnt that he, like many other newer directors, are old family friends of Hrithik, Karan, SRK and co. It’s all one nepotistic incestuous world.
Pity Rahul Bose isn’t a looker, had he enjoyed more mass-popularity from good looks, he’s someone who could’ve instigated some change now he’s moved (not particularly impressively, it has to be said) into directing over the last few years.
The Icarus Girl by Helen Oyeyemi
thank u very much.
little message
your comments helps me uncle
namaste love u kiss (kishan)
check out the 8 year old prodigy writer adora svitak, Flying Fingers already goes international, http://www.adorasvitak.com
I remeber seeing him in some E TV Kannada soap opera, i dont rembr the name exactly.Is he the same kid? Please let me know if anyone has idea.
All the best kid 🙂
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1713123,00.html
Prodigy on a mission to turn children into lovers of literature
She dashes off poems and reads Voltaire in her spare time. Now Adora, eight, is coming to tell British pupils how to write
Anushka Asthana and Matthew Ogborn Sunday February 19, 2006 The Observer Adora Svitak loves to read and write. Over the past 18 months she has had a 296-page book published and written 400 short stories and nearly 100 poems. Typing at 80 words a minute, she has produced 370,000 words while reading up to three books a day. The last novel she finished was Voltaire’s Candide. Not bad for an eight-year-old. As if that wasn’t enough, the child prodigy has also made it her mission to persuade other youngsters to ditch their computer games and pick up a book or a pen. ‘When I was little I thought everyone in the world liked to read, because it was so fun,’ said Adora. ‘But then I realised that was not exactly true. I want other kids to read and write more all over the world, because it helps them to understand things better.’ Adora tours schools in her native Seattle, demonstrating touch-typing and carrying out PowerPoint presentations on how she learnt to write and why it is fun to read. She takes in props, such as cuddly toys, to show how things around her inspire story ideas. One of her slides reads: ‘If I saw a black cat near my house, I could make up a whole story about a witch and the family she had cursed.’ In June she hopes to come to Britain to convince children here of the joy of reading. But some have questioned whether she will get as warm a welcome as she does in America. Children who have struggled with reading might feel patronised, said one child psychologist. And few will be able to understand the difficult books that Adora can tackle in a morning. She reads widely, from fiction to history and biography. She was only four when she started writing stories, but her writing really took off when her mother bought her a laptop at six. At seven, her first book, Flying Fingers, a mix of her own fiction and writing tips for others, was published. She already has a deal for her second book, a collection of poetry. Adora is supported by Joyce, who is an interpreter. But she insists the campaign is Adora’s own doing. ‘She does this off her own back,’ she said. ‘She understands what she is doing, but we do encourage and support her.’ Their decision to come to the UK comes after figures showed that 52 per cent of five-year-olds failed to reach literacy, language and development targets. Reading for pleasure is one way to push up achievement, according to Viv Bird, director of Reading is Fundamental, a project run by the National Literacy Trust. She said peer-to-peer encouragement was very important: ‘It is fantastic that Adora is getting people thinking about books. I just hope her trip is not met with too much cynicism.’ Bird said it would be good if Adora teamed up with local children who were also writing books. One British success is keen to meet Adora. Libby Rees, author of Help, Hope and Happiness – a self-help book for children whose parents are divorcing – said: ‘It would be fun to meet someone who has done something like me. I really hope I have encouraged children to write.’ Libby, who is 10, is set to host her own Trisha-style chat show later this year. Charles Faulkner, of her publishers, Aultbea Publishing, said it was the honest and positive outlook of children that made their writing unique. ‘It is not just their age, but the quality of work is very refreshing,’ he added. ‘These children are exceptionally bright and ahead of their years in school.’ Adora has the reading age of 20, according to her teachers. But success hasn’t gone to her head. ‘She is not arrogant at all,’ said her writing teacher, Felisa Rogers. ‘She is above average ability, but we make sure we tell her that this is because of her hard work.’ Adora the author Prince Garrick scornfully tossed aside a beautifully gold-embossed leather-bound book. ‘Peasant’s trash,’ he scoffed to the trembling minion who had presented the gift. ‘B-beg p-pardon, y-your sup-superior h-highness, I n-never meant no h-harm,’ the servant stuttered, stepping back and tripping over an ornately designed china pitcher.’ • Extract from Flying Fingers
yes i do agree with kiran , he is the same old little actor in a soap called ” paapa paandu”, if i am correct, and heis also called as punda, ishould admit that he was a genious in acting, and now i am sure he would have done some thing interesting regarding slum children , which is his subject.
It might sound unbelievable for those who haven’t met kishan.You have to meet the kid to understand the reality. I have met him on the sets and also in his studio. he hardlly uses the mouse when he works on his laptop.I was stunned to see the number of short cuts he used on the key board.Senior artists like Jayashree and Taara, jackie and Saurabh are no fools to buy a pretence by a 10 year old on the sets.