Halo: The cutest movie ever that makes me go nostalgic

I am back home and was browsing through the TV channels for something interesting and I found it in one of the most unexpected places. The Doordarshan’s Lok Sabha channel was airing an old movie that looked more like an art cinema. But it took me no longer than a second to realize that it was HALO, a 1996 children’s movie that I had watched when I was in primary school. Suddenly I found myself subdued in nostalgia and filled with some kind of joy that I can’t express in words.

I had seen a glimpse of the movie a few years ago, probably it was about to end. I had the same emotions then that I had today, but was sad that I missed it. I think today was my lucky day. I must confess that it is more of a fairy tale than a movie.

The story revolves around a seven year old girl Sasha (played by Benaf Dadachandji). She had lost her mother very early in her life and always felt lonely and unattached. Her doting father could do very little to cheer up the girl. One day, her babbling servant tells her that God is watching everything and she should expect a miracle very soon. Sasha finds an abandoned pup beneath her cupboard the next day and believes that this pup is sent by God for her. She calls it HALO. Sasha is all happy and joyous now and the father (played by Rajkumar Santoshi) is relieved now. But the joy does not last long and Halo is lost. The story unfolds with Sasha trying hard to find Halo back and seeking Ranga Dada’s help to find Halo.

The movie is not just about a kid and her dog. It is about selfless love and compassion. It is a sneak peek at the society through a child’s eyes. There is a small innocent cute kid living next door to Sasha and he is ever so curious. The fag end of the story runs on the back drop of communal riots. The kid asks his dad, “Why are these people fighting?”

Dad: “It is a communal riot beta!”

Kid: “Man made or God made?”

Dad: “Man made, but in the name of God”.

There is another instance that I feel screams aloud the differences in our society. When Sasha go to Ranga Dada (a local orphan who heads a group of urchins), he says, “God has sent you a dog. And look at us, He made us into dogs.”

Sasha finally finds Halo at an old Parsi couple’s place. She is overjoyed and filled with exuberance upon seeing Halo. But this is where the real message of the movie is revealed. Sasha understands that the Parsi couple had a mentally challenged child who was emotionally attached to the dog and was not willing to part with it. She decides to let him have the dog. If a seven year old child can behave that way, then why can’t we?

TRIVIA:

The movie is written and directed by Santosh Sivan and won the National Award for Best Children’s movie. Benaf won the special jury award the same year.  It also won the 2001 Filmfare Critic’s Award. The movie is produced by Children's Film Society of India (CFSI).

Watch the movie on Youtube :)