To show how children perceive terrorism, 20 amateur filmmakers from the Ryan International Group of Schools have made a film, MH 26/11 on the 26/11 attacks.

The scripting, direction, casting, camera-work, sound production and editing of the short film were all handled by the amateur filmmakers themselves. The film premiered on Tuesday with an audience comprising not just students and parents but also film stars like Hema Malini, Isha Koppikar and Johnny Lever among others at Cinemax theatre, Versova.

The main characters of the film, Kabir and Aditya, have been played by students of Ryan International School. The 45-minute film stars other students of the school and actors Vibha Chibber (who played the role the assistant coach with Shah Rukh Khan in the film Chak De) and Amardeep Jha.

The idea came about when chairman, Ryan International Group of Schools, Augustine Pinto discussed the idea with Utkarsh Marwah, the culture and creative director of the school. The idea clicked and it was decided that the students will be made to direct a film on the theme.

Pinto, along with Marwah, then decided to conduct a filmmaking workshop for the students with alumni of the Goregaon-based Whistling Woods International Institute. The workshop lasted around 20 days at the end of which students were selected on the basis of their expertise. Some 175 students auditioned for roles in the film.

Tapan Jindal, 13, cameraman of the film said, “The film is about a Hindu and a Muslim family and the impact that the terror attacks had on them. The film primarily focuses on what children feel and how they suffer when terror strikes. Kabir and Aditya are good friends till a misunderstanding separates their families.”

Basant Jha,14, sound engineer of the film elaborated, “Kabir is from a Muslim family and his is the only family that resides in a colony of Hindus. The film shows them living harmoniously until the terror attacks. The other families start to look at them suspiciously and taunt and abuse them till they are forced to flee and settle in a Muslim colony. The film shows that people should rise above communalism.”

The students took three days for scripting, four for shooting and four for editing. TV footage has been used .