First Act
Introduction
Thank God It Is Friday and with it a new spate of releases await us! So let’s get to them one by one! First up, I finished watching the new Documentary Series First Act which is now streaming on Amazon Prime. Now it has been 3 years since I have been a small speck of the entertainment world, mostly on the fringes wherein I do write about the different content doing the rounds across the globe. And while doing so, I am privy to a little insider scoop every now and then but I must admit that one of the most disturbing facts of the film industry just had to be related to the working conditions of children.
As is the case across the globe, the film industry is a place that demands the presence of people from every age demographic, and this also includes children too. The issue arises here when the work pertaining to children is overstretched beyond a timeline with the working conditions being at an absolute lowest. This for me is disturbing given the amount of pressure that young kids are subjected to at such a tender age, while the parents at times just wish to sit back and allow kids to earn. It was in a video that actor Sushant Singh had rightly pointed out on the plight of children and the treatment that they are subjected to in the film industry. And I was expecting the documentary First Act to deep dive into this issue while also imparting a message. So then does First Act manage to impress, let’s find out.
What's Good
First Act is a documentary tracing the journeys of a few child actors, some who had started their journeys at a very young age to some lost in oblivion in an industry which is extremely unforgiving! The documentary had a no holds bar in forming a disturbing and haunting image of little children being coaxed by their parents in the big bad world of entertainment. And I liked how the series did focus on the journeys of actors from different age brackets while showing their struggle through their formative years. But almost in all of their journeys, there is a sense of force being implied on the children either bribing them into an audition or type-casting them or simply leaving them in oblivion.
I liked how the documentary got the perspectives of Sarika, Darsheel Safary, Jugal Hansraj and even Parzaan Dastur, all of whom were child actors once upon a time. And almost everybody had a similar thing to say that the immediate success of their films followed by a couple of failures, had the industry forget about them while writing them off completely into oblivion. This did say a lot about the industry who might celebrate the biggest achievements together but also does forget the contribution of child artists immediately after a few failures.
The entire process of an audition in the dingy streets of Aram Nagar, even touching upon the ongoing ‘scams’ of the process, paint such a grim and gloomy picture. But more important, exposing children in that world had my heart torn into a million pieces. Right from waiting for their turn to audition, to being mechanical and ‘similar’ to each other in terms of their presentation(signifying that they might be taught through a limited gaze of the adults) painted an unfortunate picture too. Also to subject kids to characters that aren’t suitable by simply s*xualizing them through their acts was just not done! This while the pain in the eyes of the kids was worth a million nightmares in a searing documentary that absolutely hits home.
What's Not So Good
I didn’t have anything negative to write about this brilliantly poignant documentary except that the makers could have maybe also touched upon the concepts of child abuse that might still be a part of the industry(in hush hush corners), as seen in the Hindi show Kafas(although fictionalized). That show was deeply disturbing and it highlighted exactly this fact which had me seething throughout its narrative.
My Take
I have been reviewing content from quite some time now and I can safely take a stand that being a child artist is one of the most thankless jobs in the profession(unless that child is the protagonist with a huge screen time). No reviewer even mentions the name of child artists which is the sad reality(and one of the reasons why we do that at Popcorn Reviewss is to atleast try and contribute to the change, hence aware of a few known faces on the show). Yet, the amount of hard-work put in by the kids is unparalleled even at the cost of sacrificing their childhood in many ways. It isn’t easy being a child artist given that you have to balance school, your studies, your playing time, and your work, all inside 24 hours, often leaving you exhausted and tired. And I can’t even imagine the amount of trauma that the child would be subjected to, in terms of mental growth and broadening the horizon. Which brings me to the parents, Why would you subject your child to such trauma?
One of the worst decisions that parents can make(ofcourse with a few exceptions) is having your child work while you sit back and enjoy. No! That is not how the world works! Allow your children to bloom by teaching them values, allowing them to just be themselves and discovering the world through their gaze. Do not impose your devalued beliefs onto them, something that would scar them for life! It was also shown on the show that parents go to a point of having their children drop out of exams, for a ‘stupid’ little show! This is preposterous and something that has angered me to no bounds. Education is the stepping stone for your personality, it does shape you more than just in the field of academics. Teach your children the importance of it, do not subject your child to your selfish needs!
And yes, making your child work to fulfil your dreams is ‘child labour’!
Conclusion
First Act is a disturbing documentary highlighting the plight of children working in the film industry that made for a terrifying watch. Seldom do I get so worked up while watching some content, this was one of them in a brilliant documentary that is an eye opener! Available on Amazon Prime and Highly Recommended!