Jhalki


Jhalki is a 2019 Indian Hindi-language drama film directed by Brahmanand S. Singh and Tanvi Jain, written by Singh and Prakash Jha and produced by Singh , Anand Chavan, Vinayak Gawande and Jayesh Parekh. The film is based on the life of Kailash Satyarthi, winner of the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize, and his efforts to fight child trafficking and child labour in India. It features Boman Irani as Satyarthi and Aarti Jha as the titular 9-year-old street girl Jhalki, setting out to find her 7-year-old brother amid child slavery. Tannishtha Chatterjee, Divya Dutta and Sanjay Suri star in supporting roles. The trailer of the film was released at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2019 and the film was released theatrically in India on 14 November 2019. It premiered at national and international film festivals and won various awards.

Synopsis

A life-altering disappearance of her 7-year old brother sets 9-year old girl Jhalki off on a mission to find him at all costs. Armed with an intimate folktale and her own sharp mind, is Jhalki's journey the start of a spiral that will change the lives of thousands for good? What price must she pay to get what she wants?

Cast

Production

The film was shot in and around Mirzapur and in Film City.

Release and marketing

Jhalki was released nationwide by Panorama Studios on 14 November 2019. It was marketed and promoted by The [Kapil Sharma Show|The Kapil Sharma Show], ABP News and Kidzania.
Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation promoted the film wherein the film was screened for children, village communities, policy makers, chief ministers, judiciary, bureaucrats, MPs and MLAs, law enforcement agencies and national and state commissions for protection of child rights. Child Rights and You, Save The Children, Salaam Baalak Trust and UNICEF promoted and screened the film by running special campaigns. Van-mounted mobile theatres, by Picture Time and Mukti Caravan, were used to promote the film in rural areas.

Reception

Box-office

The film earned approximately crores at the box-office in its first week of release.

Reviews

said that director Singh deals with a subject that is sensitive and socially alarming, while The Hindu found it to be a cinematic tribute to Satyarthi. Asian News International said that the film was meaningful yet with a "serious backdrop which are so entertaining, engaging and inspiring" and added that "Kailash Satyarthi's life-time of work of his crusade against human trafficking and child labour gets crystallized into one smooth story of conviction, courage and love. And what gets questioned in the process, is the inhuman practice of the people reaping benefit from the racket."
Film critic Bhawana Somaaya reviewed the film as "so human and it's so simple. I didn't even realize when and how often I cried in the film." Journalist Subhash K. Jha said that "Jhalki is a heartwarming at times heart-stopping saga about the loss of innocence and a flash of hope." Critic Bhavikk Sangghvi praised the film and stated that "Jhalki’ is a refreshing take on brother-sister bonding. The ensemble cast gets into the skin of their characters while Aarti's performance will make you go ‘awww’ while Goraksh is earnest to the core. Brahmanand's writing will tug your heartstrings while his direction is sensitive."
Indian writer Deepa Gahlot likened the film's titular character to "a super hero without a cape".