Bengaluru filmmaker draws attention to child trafficking menace through film

On his way to work every morning, K Ganeshan would see a small girl selling pens at a junction close to his workplace. “I would wonder where she was from because she didn’t seem like a local and on enquiry, her friends told me that she was brought to Bengaluru from Kolkata by a gang that is involved in child trafficking. To make matters worse, they had chopped her tongue off so she wouldn’t be able to communicate.A few days later, I didn’t see her. It still worries me; I wonder where she is now.”
Inspired by this incident, Ganeshan went on to make his children’s flick, Namma Magu, which recently received recognition from the International Organisation for Migration.
“I even went to Kolkata to shoot some portions for Namma Magu and read up on a lot of material on trafficking. The rest of the content was what I imagined can happen in such situations.” Ganeshan, who adds, “My film has been showcased in the UN at Geneva and exhibited at 23 international film fests and has even won awards.”