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Early burnout and a lost childhood

Children have, since time immemorial, been part of the entertainment world. Be it a live stage (theatre, dance and circus)…

Early burnout and a lost childhood

(PHOTO: Getty Images)

Children have, since time immemorial, been part of the entertainment world. Be it a live stage (theatre, dance and circus) or, now, films and television serials, child artistes have had a major role to play. But few realise that behind that young innocent smile is often a deep pain and frustration of living an abnormal life.
 Today, child artistes are giving their older co-stars a run for their money. Remember Darsheel Safari of Taare Zameen Par fame or Bajrangi Bhaijaan girl, Harshaali Malhotra? Television soaps are moving from family dramas, including the "Saas-bahu" saga, shown ad-nauseam, to kids-oriented stories that tackle hardcore issues such as child trafficking, bonded labour and child marriage. The list is endless on the small screen, from Balika Badhu to now Naamkaran and Ganga. These little stars have been found to be a big draw and many a film's success or popularity of a TV serial is attributed to the child actor(s). Almost every entertainment channel, such as Star Plus, Colors, &TV and Sony TV are projecting kids in a lead role.
 Like any full-fledged actor, these young ones also have fan followings. Theirautographs are sought after, they are roped in to perform on the stage and they are also brand ambassadors for several brands. And soon they become a sensation overnight. Now, one may wonder what this glamourous life looks like when viewed from inside. Is it easy to sustain?
 A popular saying goes that nothing comes free. So is the case with glamour. For child artistes, the cost is even higher. Forget about a normal school education, the children do not even have a life of their own. They tend to learn many things at a very tender age, they lose their innocence, become mature beyond their age and are forced to behave in a certain manner. While other children of their age attend school, go for outings, make new friends and celebrate festivals with family, all this is often denied to these star kids.
 Life ceases to remain the same for these young ones. Things become tougher when they get popular and people start recognising them at malls, markets, schools, parties and apartments. Initially it may appear great but not all the time. At a tender age, these kids have to behave like a celebrity, conscious all the time of their status. At a recent promotion event at a Noida mall, popular child actor Harshali Malhotra (of Bajrangi Bhaijaan fame) was mobbed by a crowd that went berserk. Everyone wanted a selfie with her. This scared the little girl so much that she started crying.
Toiling hard
While child actors is not a new phenomenon in the film and television industry, their roles have transformed. Earlier, they portrayed the childhood version of the lead actors. But in the past few years, there have been several films and soap shows where children are central characters and thus play a bigger role. Films such as Makdee, Taare Zameen Par and Bajrangi Bhaijaan are examples of this. On the small screen, almost every entertainment channel is running serials where the story line revolves around a child. 
 This only means longer working hours for a child actor. "At times the shooting goes on and on, often stretching to 18 hours," informed a person associated with a prominent television channel, who chose to remain anonymous.
 Daily soaps take their toll on child actors. Unlike earlier, when they were cast in the show just for a few episodes, now they remain for two to three years.
These little kids ~ some of them as young as six-years-old ~ have to perform historical characters or intense roles. Their parents too are under pressure to manage their children, juggling school schedules and shoots, ensuring they are well prepared for the show.
 In an interview with The Statesman a couiple of weeks ago, actor Mohnish Bahl described work in daily soaps as "very time taking and tiring". There have also been reports of adults actors collapsing on the sets because of exhaustion. If this is the case with established and adult actors, imagine what happens to children, who have to work at a stretch for 12-15 hours. 
There is another trend ~ reality shows for kids. Though they are for a short duration but experts think even this is not healthy for them. According to psychologists, these shows put a lot of stress and pressure on the children. At times a harsh comment from judges or failure to make it can leave them feeling humiliated. Many children carry this insult through their whole life.
Plight of kids
Child artists start their career ~ rather pushed into a career by their parents  at a very young age. Some make their appearance at 3-5 years of age, starting with advertisements. Once they step into this world, there is no looking back. "My daughter is very intelligent, she learns things very easily," gushed the mother of a popular child star. "And with her interest in acting, I want her to be an actor when she grows up." 
 Under provisions for child labour in India's labour laws, an amendment lets children work in family enterprises, sports and in the audio-visual entertainment industry, except circus, provided their school education is not affected. Though their acting career is bound to play havoc with the child actors' formal school education, there are always means to work around this provision. "I don't want to name the kids but I have seen many of them who don't even go to school for six months in a year, still they manage to pass," said the mother of a popular child actor.
 They hardly get time to go to school or study. However, many parents said they hire a teacher or themselves teach their children on the sets. One can only guess how much a child can study on the sets. More often, they can be seen memorising scripts and rehearsing their roles. In fact, parents and directors would rather see these kids delivering dialogue than doing well in school.
Parental burden
Talking to several star kids' parents, it emerged that it was the child who aspired to be an actor. Some even said they never wanted their child to enter the television ~ "all this happened by chance". However, almost everyone agreed that they would love to see their daughter or son become an actor when they grew up. The moot question here is, how does a kid, all of 4-5 years of age, decide to become an actor?
 Initially it was lure of glamour world, then money that led parents to choose this path. In fact, at times, they pressure their kids to perform well. "Parents also put too much pressure on their children. Often, when a child gets negative remarks on their performance, he or she is afraid to face the parents," noted a leading child psychologist. "Therefore, parents should not be so glamour-struck and stop pressurising the children just for fame or star-status. Children should have a strong support system in case of failure."
 On the other hand, it is not just the kids who have to face a hectic schedule. Mostly, at least one of the parents has to be with them all the time. Their whole life revolves around their child. Usually, it the mother who remains with the kids. "My husband is a businessman, so all the time I have to be with the children. My personal life is ruined, I don't have time for my family or meet friends," said Dolly, mother Ruhana Khanna, who essays the role of little Ganga.
"I have to be with the child, wherever she goes. And I spend so much time with her that it seems I also have memorised her dialogues," said the mother of a child actor in Yeh Hai Mohabatten.
Elusive success
Children who participate in reality shows, cinema or daily sitcoms attain sudden fame. Many movie buffs, parents and fans predict they would become superstars. But it doesn't happen every time. When they are no longer in the limelight, as has happened with several TV and film stars and the fame suddenly fades away, they find it difficult to cope. This is a recipe for disaster for these kids, as some of them descend into deep frustration and at times even turn suicidal.
 Many child actors, who grow up to become become film stars, found that their scale of acting in movies had narrowed to such an extent that they either had to quit the industry or change their paths. One remembers the gang of kids in Hrithik Roshan starrer Koi Mil Gaya. Among them was a bespectacled girl, Hanshika Motwani, who after a few years became a full-fledged actress and starred opposite Himesh Reshammiya. Today, she is nowhere on the scene. The same is true of actor Kunal Khemu, who gave a splendid performance in Zakhm, along with Ajay Devgan. The actor couldnt establish himself in tinsel town.
 One also remembers the child actor of Vishal Bharadwaj's Makdee, Sweta Basu Parsad. She made a big splash in the film industry with her outstanding performance in films like Makdee and Iqbal, after shooting into stardom with Ekta Kapoor's TV serial Kahani Ghar Ghar Ki. But she unfortunately ended up in dire straits.
 There are many more actors, who were celebrities as children but eventually moved away from the film fraternity to pursue different career paths.

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