Set against the backdrop of human trafficking, child labour and deep-rooted systemic corruption, Hindi film Jhalki explores this murky world through the eyes of a nine-year-old girl. Starring Boman Irani, Divya Dutta, Sanjay Suri, Tannishtha Chatterjee, Govind Namdev, Joy Sengupta, Akhilendra Mishra, Bachan Pachera, the film is a salute to the tireless work in fighting child labour and human trafficking by Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, who even makes a guest appearance in the film.
The film tells the story of a girl named Jhalki (Aarti Jha) whose life changes when her 7-year-old younger brother, Babu (Goraksh Sakpal) disappears. This sets Jhalki off on a mission to find him at all costs. Armed with an intimate folk-tale of a tireless sparrow and her own charming presence of mind, Jhalki embarks on a relentless journey to find and free her brother. Unaware and ignorant of the deep-rooted corruption and cobwebs of the system, Jhalki takes on the monstrous and the conniving in her quest to find her brother.
The film, inspired by true events, is directed by Brahmanand S Siingh and co-directed by Tanvi Jain. The trailer of Jhalki was released at the Cannes Film Festival in France earlier this year and has also been screened at the New York Indian Film Festival, the Boston International Film Festival and the Singapore South Asian International Film Festival.
The film, which was originally to be released in September, is now going to hit the theatres on Children’s Day, November 14, 2019.