By Berenice Manzano
Teaching kids gratitude and thankfulness to their parents in a materialistic culture needs more attention. In the film, Bada Aadmi (Great Man), directed by Christopher Scott Carpenter, we follow a young girl named Anshu through her day at school, specifically, attending a happiness program taking place in her classroom. Anshu is learning all about the importance of empathy and sharing kindness with everyone around her, especially her parents, through the power of storytelling. This Happiness Class is offered to Anshu via a government school system in New Delhi.
Before this class became part of her school curriculum, Anshu explains she would always demand materialistic things from her parents. “Get me a new bag!” she would tell them until they fulfilled her desire. Upon entering this Happiness Class, Anshu explains she has been learning the importance of sharing respect and empathy with everyone around her. It is also the story of Bada Aadmi (the Great Man), a man who consistently showed compassion to all those around him, that is responsible for Anshu’s transformation. She and her classmates had never considered the burden they create in their households as a result of selfish actions, and hope to create healthier connections with their loved ones.
The film goes back and forth between Anshu happily engaging in the class and her parents acknowledging the change in her attitude at home thanks to the school’s curriculum. Anshu is even captured writing small notes thanking everyone in her home and sticking them all over her home walls.
Overall, I would rate this film a 4/5. The perspectives shared by both Anshu and her parents on the influence the Happiness Curriculum had in their lives was very touching. The film really captures the students’ engagement with learning these important skills.
Berenice Manzano is a 2nd year Film and Digital Media major at University of California, Santa Cruz. Apart from being a Film Selection intern for CMRubinWorld, she has also worked on many student made short films with the organization Film Production Coalition at UCSC and is an Alumni Board Member for the high school journalism workshop Mosaic created by The Mercury News.
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