Mahek
Mahek is an Indian children's film by writer-director Kranti Kanade. Synopsis. It's about 11-yr old dreamer Mahek who wants to be the best at everything, but is unsure of how to achieve her goals. Production. Development. The film was produced by the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI). Crew. Legendary artist and cartoonist Mario Miranda did the illustrations for the film. The crew was FTII alumnus who subsequently did notable work. Mrinal Desai, the DOP, was the second unit director of photography on 'Slumdog Millionaire' and later shot universally acclaimed film 'Court'. Editor Suchitra  Sathe and Sound designer Anmol Bhave worked on National Award-winning films. Release. It premiered at the BFI London Film Festival to affectionate reviews. Invited to over twenty International film festivals including Chicago, Munich, Toronto, St Louis and Cleveland, it won awards in Hollywood and Houston. It was Best Children's film nominee at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Australia and was shown as part of "Modern India" studies syllabus at the Otterbein University. Reviews. This film received positive with "British Film Institute" terming it as "An inspiring family film from India". The "Sprockets Toronto Film Festival" noted that "The  film celebrates imagination, self-confidence and perseverance." One of India's most respected critics Maithili Rao, in the Frontline (magazine) said that the film was "A rare combination of sensitivity and gentle humour". Similarly, Rachel Dwyer, "University of London" termed the film as "Totally delightful". "Cleveland Film Festival, USA" noted it a "Gem of a film". "St.Louis Film Festival, USA" described "Mahek" as a "Beautifully filmed with a nice eye for color and very funny", whereas the "Syracuse New Times, New York" applauded that the film "Certainly matches Truffaut’s cinematic spirit." Mahek has been included in the curriculum  of Otterbein College, one of the oldest universities in the US.