Bhubaneswar: On the eve of the screening of award winning children’s film ‘Sabas Biju’, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday saw the promo and lauded child protagonist Snehal Sujal Mohanty and writer-director Santosh Panda.
“Felt great meeting the CM and he seemed happy to see the nine-minute promo. The film has been inspired by the leadership qualities of former chief minister Biju Patnaik,” said Snehal, a Class IX student.
He had earlier acted in television serial ‘Damini’ and also featured in an electricity advertisement.
“He was lucky to have got the role, which was an exposure for him,” said Snehal’s mother.
The movie portrays a character Biju, an eleven-year old schoolboy, who lives with his widowed mother in a small village and supports his family by vending milk. He fights against social injustice and the cause of children.
“The film has depicted the problem of rural life which is much different than the way we live. The sight of children being forced to work at various constructions sites is really disheartening. I shot for the film during my school holidays,” said Snehal, who does not want to pursue acting as a career.
The film was screened at National Children’s Film Festival, Rajasthan, and International children’s Film Festival, Hyderabad. The film was selected among entries from 109 countries.
This nationally and internationally acclaimed film will be screened at Jayadev Bhawan here on Sunday. Child artistes of the movie will be felicitated on the occasion.
