Kids bring alive riveting story of lost shoes
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, December 23
Students of the Wings Theatre Academy performed an adaptation of Majid Majidi’s Oscar nominated film, Children of Heaven, at St Kabir School’s auditorium here on Sunday.
The cast of the play comprised children aged between 8 and 12, including Yuvraj Randhawa (Ali), Naima Khanna (Zahra), Meher Kumar (Abreshmina), Manveer (Karim), Dezoita (Feruza) and Ahana (Sports Teacher).
Children of Heaven (1998), written and directed by Majid Majidi, was the first-ever Iranian film to be nominated for an academy award in the best foreign language film category. The story revolves around a pair of lost shoes, showing the beautiful relationship between a brother and sister — Ali and Zahra — in the midst of the struggles and hardships they faced. Children performed their roles effortlessly, while delivering some of the dialogues in flawless Persian.
“Iranian cinema has always been close to my heart , especially Majid Majidi’s films. I’m glad our young actors got a chance to understand and live another language and culture,” said the play’s director Zubin Mehta.
In this adapted version, the audience got a sensorial experience of South Tehran’s dusty neighborhoods, its culture, and its practices. The costumes were simple, yet authentic and the traditional Iranian background music added value to the production.
Students of St Kabir Kabir, Strawberry Fields World School , Sacred Heart, Smart Wonders School, Gurukul School, St Johns High School, St Stephens School, Coveda, Carmel Convent School, Delhi Puplic School, Ryan International School and Bhawan Vidayalya School took part in the play.
