Kathi Mahesh: Egise Tarajuvvalu is the only Telugu film in the race to vie for top honours at ICFFI

After his stint in

Bigg Boss Telugu

that made him a household name, film activist-turned-filmmaker Kathi Mahesh is now hoping to make a name for himself at the

20th International Childrens Film Festival India

: The Golden Elephant. How? His children’s film,

Egise Tarajuvvalu

is contending for top honours at the biennial event set to kick-off in Hyderabad on November 8. “It is the only Telugu feature film to have made the cut from a total of 1402 entries from all over the world that were submitted to the jury this year,” reveals Mahesh.

Based on the story of a motely bunch of class VII students of a government school who head to participate in a science fare, the film bats for a pedagogical shift from rote learning to experiential learning.

“The lives of a class of 28 students of a small town takes a new turn when a new science teacher (played by Sowmya Venugopal) joins their school. She instills a scientific temperament in the students and inspires them to take part in a science fare. How these students overcome the odds and rise to the challenge forms the crux of the film,” says Mahesh, adding, “Sadly, science isn’t restricted to engineering or medicine in India of today. Science is much more than a body of knowledge. it’s a way of thinking that motivates people to question everything and paves the way for a democratic world order. That’s the inherent message the film seeks to drive home.”

Child artistes Yeshwant and Hasini play the central roles in the movie. “All the children in the film are debutants. So we conducted a 10-day workshop before we began shooting,” says Mahesh, signing off.