''Baaja'' (Mouth Organ; hi, बाजा) is a 2002

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

directed by

Apurba Kishore Bir Apurba Kishore Bir (born 1948), also known as A. K. Bir, is an Indian film cinematographer, screenwriter and director. An alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune, he worked in various Ad-films and documentaries before mak ...

Synopsis

A free and compassionate human spirit is trapped in Shibu, an eleven-year-old boy. In order to guide Shibu's wandering energy on a constructive path, his widow mother sends him to the city from the village, with his uncle. But Shibu's carefree approach to life and his energetic response to reality, makes him a subject of annoyance to the neighbour as well as his own aunt. This forces his uncle to be strict with him and he takes him along to his shoe shop, in order to keep a watch on him, studying. But the situation leads Shibu on a different track. Being asked by the Uncle to carry a pair of shoes to a doctor's residence, Shibu ventures across the streets and lanes in his casual and carefree manner while encountering some stray incidents. But, then something very sudden and unpredictable happens, which invites him to show his true potential and real merit, to surprise the adults, effected by indifferent attitude.

Cast

* Yakub Shaikhl *

Ram Awana Ram Awana (born 1 March 1971) is an India, Indian film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Raja Paundrak in ''Dwarkadheesh – Bhagwaan Shree Krishn'', Chanur in ''Jai Shri Krishna (TV series), Jai Shri Krishna'', Farooq in D ...

as shibu's uncle * Roni Bhatt * Saroj Bhagwar * Manisha Rajpal *

Chitra Pandey Chitra may refer to: Art * Chitra (art), a historic art that includes paintings, sketching with or without multiple colors People * Chithra, Indian playback singer * Chitra (actress), Indian film actress * V. J. Chitra, Indian television actress ...

Crew

*Director/Script :

*Story & Screenplay: Apurba Kishore Bir *Cinematography : Apurba Kishore Bir *Music : Bhavdeep Jaipurwale *Editing : Aseem Sinha *Dialogue : Hubnath Pandey *Sound :

Nihar Ranjan Samel Nihar may refer to * Nihar Ameen, Indian swimming coach. * Nihar Mukherjee, Indian politician. * Nihar Ranjan Gupta, Indian dermatologist and novelist. * Nihar Ranjan Laskar Nihar Ranjan Laskar (1 May 1932) was an Indian politician. He was ele ...

Awards & Participation

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

2003 (Best Children Film)

Music

Bhavdeep Jaipurwale arranged the music for this film.

Review

A. K. Bir too has a child

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

in Baaja. Shibu is brought from the village to the town to be better educated. The boy's encounters and adventures on the streets bring out his savvy nature and concern for others; they also give him a better understanding of values. Shibu gives first aid to a grandma who has been cudgelled by a thief, minds the wailing baby, finds a doctor, and recovers the stolen gold chain. Since Bir is unable to decide whether to opt for realism or the fairy tale mode, the film hangs uneasily between the two genres.

References

External links

*
''Interview of'' 'A.K.Birin www.filmnirvana.com''
{{National Film Award Best Children's Film 2002 films Indian children's films 2000s Hindi-language films Best Children's Film National Film Award winners 2000s children's films Films directed by Apurba Kishore Bir