Anurag Kashyap's production, Little Thomas to have its world premiere at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne

Anurag Kashyap’s production, Little Thomas is set to have its world premiere at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne this year. Directed by Kaushal Oza, the film stars Gulshan Devaiah and Rasika Dugal, joined by Hridansh Parekh, Hridyansh Gokani, Ninad Pandith and Mahabanoo Mody- Kotwal.

Speaking of his association with the film, Anurag said, “I had seen Kaushal’s short film, The Miniaturist of Junagadh (2021) and liked it. Then I read the Little Thomas script and understood his vision for it. He wanted to make a genuine children’s film while creating a world from a kid’s perspective. The honesty of his approach has helped in making the film."

The director had helmed the children’s animated feature Return of Hanuman in 2007. “It’s a difficult genre actually, to make an authentic children’s film, so one has to ensure that it’s a good script before making it,” he said.

Little Thomas follows the tragi-comic efforts of a seven-year-old boy to bring his parents together. Set in the Goa of the 90s, the film follows Thomas, the only child of his parents, who desperately wants a little brother.

Actor Gulshan Devaiah, who made his debut in Anurag Kashyap's That Girl in Yellow Boots (2010) describes Little Thomas as a film that put a smile on his face. He said, "It’s a sweet, cute film and I am thrilled it’s going to be showing at IFFM. The most special thing about Little Thomas is its story and the beautiful innocence in its world. Rasika is a wonderful actor, who I have admired for a while now. She’s very professional and dedicated to the craft. I was lucky I got to work with her.”

Rasika Dugal said in her statement, "I was drawn to the script of Little Thomas because I felt it was a beautiful and simple story yet wasn't simplistic. Technology has given us so much to play within filmmaking that sometimes, I feel the soul of a film gets drowned in the razzmatazz. Little Thomas was not doing any of that. It was committing to its narrative without any unnecessary frills.”

She added, “Also, the script had an interesting sense of humour, which I enjoyed very much. I am delighted that the film is premiering at IFFM and it will first be watched by the kind of audience that a festival like IFFM always attracts - a discerning audience with an ample appetite for fun. I am looking forward to how they will respond to our film."

Kaushal, an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India, said that the team auditioned over 700 kids to find Thomas and the gang. He said, “Everyone has been a seven-year-old once in their lives. When we grow up, we miss the innocence of the times we were kids. I wanted to capture the innocence and imagination that we had then and yearn for now. Everyone who read the script loved it, but producing a film like this is a challenge. When this team of producers read the script - they laughed, they cried - they backed it to the hilt."

Producer Ranjan Singh recalled reading the script of the film in 2018, which is also when he decided to produce it. "It seemed like an authentic children’s film which I have missed over so many years. Also, I had co-produced Kaushal’s short, The Miniaturist of Junagadh, and showed it to Anurag and other producers and it really helped when I took script of Little Thomas to them."

Little Thomas is produced by Ranjan Singh, Rajnikant Oza, Charu Oza, Anushka Shah, Kabir Ahuja and Anurag Kashyap. It will have its festival run before the theatrical release in the country.