Aayna Ka Bayna

Warden of a children’s remand home Harshawardhan Sathe (Sachin Khedekar) is a firm believer in the use of the stick in order to control the juvenile criminals over there. Naturally, his name ignites fear and hatred among all. But with the entry of the counselor Shivani (Amruta Khanvilkar), the young inmates find a new meaning to their lives.

Apart from showering the children with love and care, Shivani uses the dance therapy to counsel them. As the adolescents start mastering the art of dance, they develop a sense of fulfilling their dreams. But Sathe is hell bent to transform their dreams into nightmares!

Review: If children or adolescents are forced to indulge in some sort of crime, they should be taken care of to make sure they become law abiding citizens in the future. Treating them like hardcore criminal shouldn’t be an option at all.  Debutant director Samit Kakkad gives this strong message successfully in Aayna Ka Bayna. But what makes the message more appealing is the fact that it is put across while presenting an applaud-worthy dance extravaganza. The end result is an inspiring humane saga that touches your heart.

The writers deserve applause as it would have been difficult at the start to define two starkly opposite characters (Sathe and Shivani) and portray the life at the remand home and, at the same time, take the story forward. The flashback portions of few inmates are nicely included by keeping it brief and to the point. Even the emotional or painful moments, thankfully, don’t appear depressing.

When dance plays an important part in a film, there is a danger of the makers going overboard by including too many dance sequences. Fortunately, that doesn’t appear here. The dance scenarios and songs constitute an important part of the narration. Of course, there is a long dance sequence at the end but by this time; you develop a liking for the characters thereby making you root for them.