Write a short summary of what happens in the film

Nisha plays herself in the re-enactment of her true life story. Through her surprisingly witty narration, we uncover her guiding principles of never judging a book by its cover, and that love, compassion and equality can help overcome the greatest of hurdles in life.   This is also a film about parenting. Nisha walks us through endearing glimpses from her childhood, interspersed with what appear to be daily routines, but are much more challenging for young Nisha. It is these simple day to day activities that are made easier because of the care and attention she receives from her parents. This film is also about a young girl's effortless conviction in life itself, that enables her to live as normally as possible. But, Nisha’s life also bears a magical little secret - a secret that breathes hope to a larger issue in India today.

Cultural/Context information for the jury

India today has over 29 millions orphans. Having said this, ‘adoption’ is almost always treated as a last resort whenever a couple is unable to 'naturally' conceive. To add further complexity, parents who do consider adoption would never have the courage to adopt a child with a disability. Armed with this powerful cultural insight, we attempted to capture a true, honest and culturally sensitive film about a girl who was adopted despite her physical disability and brought up in the most normal manner possible, by her loving parents and siblings. It is this treatment that allowed the film to permeate into the mainstream consciousness of India, in the last 6 months. The thesis that we wanted to explore was that ‘every child, no matter what his/her physical and mental condition, deserves a touch of care’ and an equal chance to fulfil their birth-right to a respectable existence.

Tell the jury about the casting process.

The guiding process was “uncompromising authenticity”. After casting for 2 months, the director was convinced that ONLY Nisha could play herself, for only she could do justice to such a complex and immensely personal story. The next part of the process was to cast a “non-actor”, real-life orphan for the role of the 4-year-old Nisha. The chosen girl had a similar life-story and an innate sense of curiosity and vulnerability, crucial to the role. For Nisha’s parents, the process was to cast theatre actors, who had considered adopting children themselves. The auditions were conducted inside an orphanage and in solitary spaces, wherein they were asked to interpret “wordless scenes” of being parents to a child with a disability. The shortlisted actors were then finally ‘observed’ interacting with Nisha and the decision on who to cast was made by the director and Nisha jointly.