‘Silent Heroes’ wow Doonites on World Deaf Day

27.09.2015, DEHRADUN: During the ongoing film festival in the state capital, heroes of a different kind made their presence felt. On 'World Deaf Day', 13 differently abled children from the Bajaj Institute of Learning in the state capital mesmerized movie-goers with their acting prowess as their film 'The Silent Heroes' was screened at the closing ceremony of the festival.

The movie, supported by National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Disaster Management and Mitigation Centre (DMMC), has been directed by Uttarakhand's very own Mahesh Bhatt.

"I encountered the world of silence five years back while making a documentary on deaf kids. I realized they are not disabled but simply differently-abled and I wanted to show this through a movie enacted by real life deaf kids who are the heroes of my movie as they have gone through the pain and hardships in close quarters. The movie was screened as part of the first international film festival in the state, but this will be the first commercial movie based on deaf children and enacted by real life deaf kids. We plan to release it nation-wide in November," Bhatt told TOI.

The 'Silent Heroes' has been shot across picturesque locations in Uttarakhand and shows the state's beauty before the disaster of 2013. It touches on a number of relevant and contemporary issues that include disability, social attitude towards disabled, equal access, social inclusion, importance of search and rescue and first aid and disaster awareness.

"There is nothing a deaf individual can't do and I am happy to have acted in a movie, where we all tried to go on an mountaineering expedition despite being deaf and showed the world that deaf kids are smart, have a sensitive side and empathy and can do absolutely anything which a normal kid can. I loved acting in the movie," said Ashish Chauhan, a class X student of BIL beaming with pride, as his teacher translated his answers given through sign-language.

Piyoosh Rautela, executive director, DMMC Uttarakhand who is also the executive producer of the movie said, "Deaf kids showed everyone through this movie that it is time that the society change their opinions about their disability and treat them with dignity and honour they deserve. DMMC Uttarakhand supported the endeavour because we wanted to spread this message."

The major funding for the movie has been from the open market and teachers from BIL- special educators and the team trained students for months before starting off with the project.

"We all are elated to show the world that being deaf can't stop us from achieving our dreams. We are as much alike as other kids and in fact have innate strength which people must realized," said Khwaish Gupta, another deaf student who had acted in the movie.