This film, unfortunately, has the lowest IMDb rating of all the 2005 nominated live action shorts. "Little Terrorist" was infinitely better than the winner, "Wasp", and falls second only to "7:35 in the Morning" for a well paced plot, interesting and engaging characters, and a great final message. Having lived in Pakistan before and having stood on the Kashmir border, I was tremendously impressed with the realistic portrayal of the area. Watching this film made me feel as if I was back there again (as the film is shot entirely on location) and, this time, involved in a very real, very exciting day in the life of a young boy. This film is wonderfully atmospheric and moving. A great watch!
14 Reviews
Simple and straightforward.
shanfloyd28 January 2005
Ashvin Kumar has really done a good job. It's true an Oscar nomination for this project is a bit surprising perhaps, but "Little Terrorist" can safely be called an intelligent and original work. In present-day circumstances the basic plot may look like a cliché yet it is presented in a genuine manner. The young actors did their job well also.
It may be said that so much else could be shown in this film and that it lacks interesting plot twists. Indeed this film may appear a little short paced and unnecessarily detailed. But a short film like this doesn't have to always entertain the viewers. The basic message is conveyed. And we are happy for that.
It may be said that so much else could be shown in this film and that it lacks interesting plot twists. Indeed this film may appear a little short paced and unnecessarily detailed. But a short film like this doesn't have to always entertain the viewers. The basic message is conveyed. And we are happy for that.
Putting a face on "the enemy"
planktonrules17 February 2008
This is an exceptional Indian film--especially since it is so timely. Because it is such a standout film it was nominated for an Oscar for Best Live Action Short.
The film begins with some Pakistani boys playing cricket along the heavily mined Indian border. Unwisely, a little boy runs into the minefield to retrieve the ball and the border guards mistake him for a terrorist. Now, unable to go back to his country, he hides among the rocks until a school teacher happens upon him. The teacher sees the kid's plight and disguises him as his nephew to keep him safe until he can be returned home.
The film is exceptional because it not only puts a face on "the enemy" but because it shows that despite international squabbles, there is decency everywhere. Considering how bloody the wars have been between these two countries, I was actually surprised that the Indians would so humanize a Pakistani boy--making it a film that anyone could enjoy since its message is universal.
The film begins with some Pakistani boys playing cricket along the heavily mined Indian border. Unwisely, a little boy runs into the minefield to retrieve the ball and the border guards mistake him for a terrorist. Now, unable to go back to his country, he hides among the rocks until a school teacher happens upon him. The teacher sees the kid's plight and disguises him as his nephew to keep him safe until he can be returned home.
The film is exceptional because it not only puts a face on "the enemy" but because it shows that despite international squabbles, there is decency everywhere. Considering how bloody the wars have been between these two countries, I was actually surprised that the Indians would so humanize a Pakistani boy--making it a film that anyone could enjoy since its message is universal.
Jamal s day
Kirpianuscus26 August 2023
A boy and his friends playing cricket. The ball is out of Pakistan border. The boy decides to take it. But it is not so simple.
The help of a school teacher saves him by Indian border guards looking for a presumed terrorist. The care for boy from venerable man and his niece are the axis of this admirable crafted short film, wise in each aspect, reminding a not so comfortabe reaity, provocative for references to the situation behind apparitian of Pakistan and ended with the most moving scenes to can imagine.
A manifesto ? No doubts, indeed. But the tone defines it because it has the precious gift to create, after its final credits, profound gratitude about director and actors.
The help of a school teacher saves him by Indian border guards looking for a presumed terrorist. The care for boy from venerable man and his niece are the axis of this admirable crafted short film, wise in each aspect, reminding a not so comfortabe reaity, provocative for references to the situation behind apparitian of Pakistan and ended with the most moving scenes to can imagine.
A manifesto ? No doubts, indeed. But the tone defines it because it has the precious gift to create, after its final credits, profound gratitude about director and actors.
Oscar-nominated short from India
rbverhoef12 December 2006
'Little Terrorist' is one of those short films that could have been made into a feature film and probably would be better. It tells the story of ten year old Jamal (Julfugar Ali) who crosses the border from Pakistan to India by accident. He is Muslim and two Hindus protect him from the soldiers who are looking for the "terrorist" that crossed the border.
The film makes a statement and does it pretty good, but again, a feature film would have done the subject matter more justice. Now we do not really learn to know the characters (although that might be a good thing when it comes to kindness from strangers) and some elements seem rushed. The band the Muslim boy has with the older Hindu is established in one sentence: both like cricket and the boy lost his ball, which caused him to cross the border, where the old man used to play. It is not that much of a problem, but I would not have mind to see more of this story.
The film makes a statement and does it pretty good, but again, a feature film would have done the subject matter more justice. Now we do not really learn to know the characters (although that might be a good thing when it comes to kindness from strangers) and some elements seem rushed. The band the Muslim boy has with the older Hindu is established in one sentence: both like cricket and the boy lost his ball, which caused him to cross the border, where the old man used to play. It is not that much of a problem, but I would not have mind to see more of this story.
An Excellent Short....
fluster8 February 2005
I'm often apprehensive when viewing films that have won the accolades that this one has, but for once I truly believe the awards have been well deserved.
This short has an air of grace and authenticity about it which is unusual in shorts (and I've seen hundreds of them!); the protagonist, Jamal, acts as naturally as a child of his age can, (the terror on his face seems real), the beautiful Rani seems more awkward yet nonetheless charming...
It is not without faults; the filmmakers could have dwelled longer on some of the fabulous landscapes presented, and the pacing drops a bit in the middle, but the film had me close to tears at the end, and was such a refreshing change from the usual 10min introspective one sees.
This short has an air of grace and authenticity about it which is unusual in shorts (and I've seen hundreds of them!); the protagonist, Jamal, acts as naturally as a child of his age can, (the terror on his face seems real), the beautiful Rani seems more awkward yet nonetheless charming...
It is not without faults; the filmmakers could have dwelled longer on some of the fabulous landscapes presented, and the pacing drops a bit in the middle, but the film had me close to tears at the end, and was such a refreshing change from the usual 10min introspective one sees.
Lacks storyline
Cederic15 December 2004
This short film is professionally enough filmed, and as a showcase for the skills of its makers is extremely effective.
Unfortunately for the casual viewer it fails to deliver. Although the story drags you in initially, it seems to founder, and you finish thinking there should have been something more.
The base premise is actually good; there is much scope for introducing tension, and some obvious story twists that could be included. Perhaps credit should be given for skipping the typical clichés, but nonetheless something more was needed.
I certainly don't recommend that people go out of their way to see this short; however, don't be surprised if the makers go on to bigger and better things.
Unfortunately for the casual viewer it fails to deliver. Although the story drags you in initially, it seems to founder, and you finish thinking there should have been something more.
The base premise is actually good; there is much scope for introducing tension, and some obvious story twists that could be included. Perhaps credit should be given for skipping the typical clichés, but nonetheless something more was needed.
I certainly don't recommend that people go out of their way to see this short; however, don't be surprised if the makers go on to bigger and better things.
No Lilliput This Terrorist!
abhishek-125 February 2005
No Lilliput this Terrorist!
Little Terrorist Written & Directed by- Ashvin Kumar Cast- Julfuqar Ali, Sushil Sharma and Megnaa Mehtta. Rating- ****
It is interesting to note that in a country that produces nearly a thousand films in a calendar year, most of them with running times over 150 minutes; it was a clever 15 minute feature by a relatively unknown film-maker that made the final list at the Oscar 2005! Writer-editor-director and producer Ashvin Kumar's short 'Little Terrorist' is one of those movies that make a point, and a global one at that, without trying to be pretentious. Indeed, there are moments when you think that the movie is actually unaware of the emphatic statement that it is making.
Jamal(Julfuqar Ali) is a 10 year old Pakistani boy who unwittingly crosses over into the Indian border while chasing a ball during a game of cricket. Suspected as a terrorist, Jamal is helped, reluctantly at first, by Bhola(Sushil Sharma)- an orthodox Hindu. Bhola gives him shelter and food, and eventually goes out of his way to safely lead the boy back home. It is this victory of humanity over the exterior differences of caste, country and ideology that touches a chord instantly. Aided by some beautiful Rajasthani compositions, Ashvin manages to create a poignant picture of compassion which permeates dissimilarities. Ashvin has a keen eye for noticing humour in pathos, a quality similar to that of Samira Makhmalbaf(Blackboards). The bittersweet remedy that Bhola's daughter(Megnaa Mehtta) suggests to hide Jamal's identity from the Indian soldiers or Jamal's private laughter at the climax are some of the humane colours that Ashvin paints against the backdrop of the rustic Rajasthan.
In what is a brilliant marketing idea, Ashvin Kumar has tied with Shyam Shroff of Shringar distributors and has made the film available to a large audience. At various multiplexes the film is being shown at the beginning of the regular shows, at no extra cost. And 'Little Terrorist' deserves to be seen by an audience, especially in the wake of the many terrorist events that have affected nations in the last few years.
Ashvin Kumar mentioned in an interview that 'Little Terrorist' is a portfolio-building film for him. Well suffice to say, look out for his big screen debut with Irrfan Khan and Boman Irani!
Note- 'Little Terrorist' is nominated at this year's Academy Awards for the Best Short Film- Live Action.
Rating- ****
* Poor ** Average *** Good **** Very Good ***** Excellent
Little Terrorist Written & Directed by- Ashvin Kumar Cast- Julfuqar Ali, Sushil Sharma and Megnaa Mehtta. Rating- ****
It is interesting to note that in a country that produces nearly a thousand films in a calendar year, most of them with running times over 150 minutes; it was a clever 15 minute feature by a relatively unknown film-maker that made the final list at the Oscar 2005! Writer-editor-director and producer Ashvin Kumar's short 'Little Terrorist' is one of those movies that make a point, and a global one at that, without trying to be pretentious. Indeed, there are moments when you think that the movie is actually unaware of the emphatic statement that it is making.
Jamal(Julfuqar Ali) is a 10 year old Pakistani boy who unwittingly crosses over into the Indian border while chasing a ball during a game of cricket. Suspected as a terrorist, Jamal is helped, reluctantly at first, by Bhola(Sushil Sharma)- an orthodox Hindu. Bhola gives him shelter and food, and eventually goes out of his way to safely lead the boy back home. It is this victory of humanity over the exterior differences of caste, country and ideology that touches a chord instantly. Aided by some beautiful Rajasthani compositions, Ashvin manages to create a poignant picture of compassion which permeates dissimilarities. Ashvin has a keen eye for noticing humour in pathos, a quality similar to that of Samira Makhmalbaf(Blackboards). The bittersweet remedy that Bhola's daughter(Megnaa Mehtta) suggests to hide Jamal's identity from the Indian soldiers or Jamal's private laughter at the climax are some of the humane colours that Ashvin paints against the backdrop of the rustic Rajasthan.
In what is a brilliant marketing idea, Ashvin Kumar has tied with Shyam Shroff of Shringar distributors and has made the film available to a large audience. At various multiplexes the film is being shown at the beginning of the regular shows, at no extra cost. And 'Little Terrorist' deserves to be seen by an audience, especially in the wake of the many terrorist events that have affected nations in the last few years.
Ashvin Kumar mentioned in an interview that 'Little Terrorist' is a portfolio-building film for him. Well suffice to say, look out for his big screen debut with Irrfan Khan and Boman Irani!
- Abhishek Bandekar
Note- 'Little Terrorist' is nominated at this year's Academy Awards for the Best Short Film- Live Action.
Rating- ****
* Poor ** Average *** Good **** Very Good ***** Excellent
Little Terrorist
CinemaSerf22 March 2024
When his cricket ball crosses into no-mans land on the heavily mined India/Pakistan border, the young "Jamal" (an engaging effort from Julfuqar Ali) tries to retrieve it - at peril to his life! Pretty soon, a pair of Indian soldiers are chasing him and he has to hide amongst the rocks whilst a local teacher "Bhola" (Sushil Sharma) is questioned by his pursuers who claim their fugitive looked like just about anything but a small boy clad in bright red. The kindly man takes him under his wing and to his village where the youngster encounters his daughter who is initially reluctant to get involved before hitting on a clever idea for him to avoid those searching! What now ensues sees the boy briefly exposed to the neighbouring - pretty much identical - culture before they try to retrace his steps and get him back home to the safety of his mother. It's a simple story that clearly wants to point out the futility of the fences, minefields and the soldiers enforcing boundaries that exist on maps only. The people on either side just want to co-exist in peace and harmony, largely wishing to reserve their animosity solely for the cricket pitch.
A sweet and tender tale
AssetsonFire28 November 2010
I write this review only to counteract the unjustly poorly-rated featured review from sherlock-14.
This short film deals with a Pakistani Muslim boy who, while playing cricket in his home village, goes to collect a stray ball on the Indian side. He's spotted by Indian soldiers who wrongly identify him as a terrorist and take chase, forcing him to seek refuge with a Hindu family on the Indian side. The family, with some reservations, shelter the boy.
A tender and understated film. The location photography intimately and believably depicts the flimsy boundary between what is, in effect, one community. The boy, despite speaking the same language as his neighbours, cannot speak freely amongst them, and the surrogate family struggle to him accept him when authority dictates otherwise.
This short film deals with a Pakistani Muslim boy who, while playing cricket in his home village, goes to collect a stray ball on the Indian side. He's spotted by Indian soldiers who wrongly identify him as a terrorist and take chase, forcing him to seek refuge with a Hindu family on the Indian side. The family, with some reservations, shelter the boy.
A tender and understated film. The location photography intimately and believably depicts the flimsy boundary between what is, in effect, one community. The boy, despite speaking the same language as his neighbours, cannot speak freely amongst them, and the surrogate family struggle to him accept him when authority dictates otherwise.
Lyin' in the sand..
nikhil717910 November 2006
Little Terrorist is one of those Post-9-11 films that draws a lot of media attention in the west, thanks to the T-word.
Other such films include Kandahar and Osama, which employs the equally controversial O-word. But the similarities end there.
Kandahar and Osama are vastly superior films on all accounts.
LT has a vaguely interesting, if clichéd premise - a reworking of No Man's Land, which interestingly ended up winning an Oscar. No such luck here. But I digress.
LT's main problem is the heavy-handed execution of its ideology.
The film has its moments, but they are few and far between.
The best thing here is Meghna Mehta who embodies the spirited village belle Rani really well.
Other such films include Kandahar and Osama, which employs the equally controversial O-word. But the similarities end there.
Kandahar and Osama are vastly superior films on all accounts.
LT has a vaguely interesting, if clichéd premise - a reworking of No Man's Land, which interestingly ended up winning an Oscar. No such luck here. But I digress.
LT's main problem is the heavy-handed execution of its ideology.
The film has its moments, but they are few and far between.
The best thing here is Meghna Mehta who embodies the spirited village belle Rani really well.
OK but could have done more with a stronger script to build on its strengths
bob the moo12 March 2007
Jamal is a young Muslin living on the border between Pakistan and India. Venturing into the mine field in no man's land to recover a ball from his cricket match, Jamal is fired upon and, panicking, mistakenly flees across the wrong fence and finds himself pursued by soldiers believing him to be a terrorist. This little terrorist seems to be done for but an unlikely friend takes pity on him in the shape of school teacher Bhola.
A fairly simple film this one but one that has benefited from being topical in the west since all "our" focus is now very much in the Middle East. The film deals with the common ground between two sets of people and the human kindness that ultimately is bigger than the armed men who keep them apart. The message is simple enough and maybe some viewers will find it a bit too obvious but for me it did enough with the top level narrative to keep the subtext from being too clunky in the background. That said though, don't be coming to this expecting anything too insightful or intelligent.
As director though, Kumar is good, capturing rich colours of the locations and giving the film a good motion. The cast are fairly good but, as already said, Mehtaa's performance is the most memorable thanks to a lively character. Nothing brilliant here then but nothing that bad either. To a certain extent it did feel like it could have done more and, with a stronger script, could perhaps have built on its strengths to produce a more intelligent and meaningful message than the one it did.
A fairly simple film this one but one that has benefited from being topical in the west since all "our" focus is now very much in the Middle East. The film deals with the common ground between two sets of people and the human kindness that ultimately is bigger than the armed men who keep them apart. The message is simple enough and maybe some viewers will find it a bit too obvious but for me it did enough with the top level narrative to keep the subtext from being too clunky in the background. That said though, don't be coming to this expecting anything too insightful or intelligent.
As director though, Kumar is good, capturing rich colours of the locations and giving the film a good motion. The cast are fairly good but, as already said, Mehtaa's performance is the most memorable thanks to a lively character. Nothing brilliant here then but nothing that bad either. To a certain extent it did feel like it could have done more and, with a stronger script, could perhaps have built on its strengths to produce a more intelligent and meaningful message than the one it did.
pathetic
sherlock-1423 April 2005
overrated, poorly written, badly acted. did the academy even watch this? i guess not. the political content guaranteed it an Oscar nomination -- indo -pak border -- a little boy , terrorism. anything with the word "terrorist" gets attention in
this post 9-11 world. its like holocaust movies that are guaranteed an Oscar nomination irrespective of their merits.
and please cinematography does not mean shooting landscapes which are pretty in the first place. you have to be a rotten shooter to screw up making the desert pretty. at least this didn't win the Oscar. they got that right at least. would have been a travesty.
this post 9-11 world. its like holocaust movies that are guaranteed an Oscar nomination irrespective of their merits.
and please cinematography does not mean shooting landscapes which are pretty in the first place. you have to be a rotten shooter to screw up making the desert pretty. at least this didn't win the Oscar. they got that right at least. would have been a travesty.
Does not deliver beyond the solid premise
Horst_In_Translation9 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
"Little Terrorist" is an Indian/British co-production in the Hindu language from 2004, so this short film has its 15th anniversary this year. It runs for 15 minutes too and was written and directed by Ashvin Kumar and he scored an oscar nomination for his work here. It is not to be taken for granted that he managed a solid filmmaking career since then and many other Oscar nominees from the short film categories did not have equal success. But it is also a bit unusual that this was Kumar's first short film, but he directed a full feature movie before already. I won't go much into detail about the cast here as I have no idea who these people are as I originate from far away from India. But even as an Indian you have to be a massive film buff I assume to recognize andy of these names and faces. The boy who plays the title charaacter for example has never acted in movies again and probably never will. Now as for this film, this is the story of a boy playing ball at the Pakistani/Indian border and in order to retrieve the ball on one occasion, he ends up on the wrong side of the border, namely in India. What follows is him trying not to be found and caught and we witness some Indians showing kindness and humanity and supporting him in his quest to retrun to his home country Pakistan. Doesn't sound too bad, does it? Well.. it is not. But it is also never really on a level where it was a touching film or where you'd really cheer for the boy to get his happy ending. And of course he does eventually. One issue I had here was that this film could have played between Israel and Palestine, between USA and Mexico, between North Korea and South Korea and so on if we ignore language and geographical features. There is nothing really in here that makes this particular region stand out. Aside from that, even with the decent acting, the film felt too long at only 15 minutes plot-wise. i know "nothing happens" is not a valid criticism usually, but it is true here and in addition, there is nothing that makes up for this lack of action from the character development perspective for example. Or I would have taken any other perspective. But it just isn't there unfortunately. However, I am not surprised at all about the awards attention this film received. The subject is pure Oscar bait and probably now in 2019 even more so and this film would have won and not lost to Andrea Arnold's superior Wasp. I give Little Terrorist a thumbs-down. Overall, given its reception (rating and awards) I found it mostly a disappointment. I hope Kumar managed to improve since then. Don't watch.
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