Little Thomas

There are children’s films. There are child-friendly films. And then there are films like Dhurandhar – The Revenge that irresponsible parents take their kids to watch anyway. Little Thomas belongs to the first kind. Kaushal Oza’s feature debut, set in mid-90s Panaji, joins a growing list of Indian films made for younger audiences, including Baththa, Ohh My Dog, The Great Grand Superhero, Village Rockstars 2 and Boong. The idea, as with these films, is to tell children a story without talking down to them. The trouble is that children today have enough entertainment at their fingertips to know when they are being bored. Little Thomas has a lovely setting, a promising premise and an adorable young lead. What it lacks is the writing to make the most of them.