Rasika Dugal Calls for More Child-Centred Stories in Indian Cinema

Rasika Dugal believes Indian cinema has considerable room for stories that place children at the centre rather than treating them as supporting characters in an adult-driven narrative. The actor’s recent film, Little Thomas, explores this idea through a young boy whose curiosity about family life leads to questions that the adults around him struggle to answer.

Directed by Kaushal Oza and backed by Anurag Kashyap, the film stars Rasika alongside Gulshan Devaiah and young actor Hridansh Parekh. Set in 1990s Goa, it follows Thomas, a seven-year-old who wants a sibling and persistently asks his parents where babies come from.

For Rasika, the premise offers an opportunity to explore how children understand the world and how their apparently simple questions can reveal complicated realities about adult relationships, family life and society.

Why Rasika Dugal Wants More Stories About Children?

Rasika has observed that children often appear in larger cinematic narratives without their own experiences becoming the central focus. She believes their questions, observations and ways of interpreting life can sustain stories in their own right.

Children see familiar situations differently from adults. They may approach subjects without the assumptions or social conventions that shape adult responses. That difference can create both humour and meaningful moments of reflection.

In Little Thomas, the central character does not simply serve as a reason for the adults to act. His curiosity drives the narrative, forcing his parents to confront questions they are not necessarily prepared to answer.

This approach gives childhood its own perspective instead of presenting it only through adult memories or concerns.

How Little Thomas Turns Everyday Questions Into a Story?

At the heart of Little Thomas is a familiar family situation: a child wants a brother or sister and wants to understand where babies come from.

Thomas continues asking questions because the explanations he receives do not fully satisfy him. What begins as an innocent wish gradually opens up a broader story about the family and the relationship between his parents.

The film finds humour in the discomfort adults experience when they try to explain complicated subjects to a child. It also raises a more thoughtful question: do adults give children enough space to express their curiosity and seek genuine answers?

Rather than relying on a grand setting or an elaborate premise, the story builds on an everyday experience. Its emotional and comic possibilities emerge from the different ways children and adults interpret the same situation.

Rasika Dugal on Finding Humour in Adult Discomfort

One of the film’s central ideas is that children’s questions can expose the limits of adult communication.

Parents may want to protect children, avoid awkward conversations or explain complicated matters in age-appropriate language. But when answers become evasive or confusing, a child's natural curiosity may lead to even more questions.

In Thomas's case, that tension creates comic situations while also revealing the dynamics within his family.

The humour does not depend solely on the child asking an unexpected question. It also comes from watching adults search for the right words, sometimes discovering that the subject is more complicated for them than it initially appears.

This balance allows the film to explore family relationships without turning its observations into a lecture.

A Family Story Set in 1990s Goa

The setting adds another layer to the narrative. Set in post-liberalisation India, Little Thomas places the family’s personal experiences within a period of broader social change.

However, the story remains grounded in the immediate world of a child and his parents. Thomas's wish for a sibling gives the film its starting point, while the family's changing circumstances provide the wider emotional context.

Rasika plays Jessie Miranda, Thomas's mother. Gulshan Devaiah plays alongside her as part of the family story, while Hridansh Parekh portrays the young central character.

The film's approach is built around everyday observations rather than spectacle. By looking at family life through Thomas's eyes, it invites viewers to reconsider situations that adults may otherwise take for granted.

Why Simple Stories Can Still Have Depth?

Rasika's comments also touch on a wider question about contemporary filmmaking: does a story need a large scale or a complicated plot to connect with audiences?

Little Thomas makes a case for the power of a small, recognisable idea. A child's wish and a series of questions become the starting point for exploring relationships, communication and the experience of growing up.

Simplicity, in this context, does not mean a lack of substance. The story's emotional depth comes from what its characters reveal through ordinary conversations and reactions.

Such films can appeal to younger viewers through a child's perspective while giving adult audiences a reason to reflect on their own responses to children.

The Celebrity Hour Take

Rasika Dugal's comments highlight an important distinction in children's storytelling: including a child in a film is not the same as allowing a child's perspective to shape it.

When a young character's questions and experiences drive the narrative, the story can explore the world in a way that feels different from conventional adult-centred storytelling. Everyday family situations become opportunities for humour, emotional insight and social observation.

Little Thomas builds on that possibility by turning one child's curiosity into a broader examination of family life. Its premise also reinforces why children's cinema deserves room for a variety of approaches from fantasy and adventure to intimate stories rooted in everyday experiences.

The larger question is whether filmmakers will continue to invest in stories that trust children's perspectives to carry a film. As Rasika suggests, their experiences and ways of looking at life can be compelling enough to stand at the centre of the story.

Sources & Verification

The article is based on Rasika Dugal’s published comments about Little Thomas, its child-centred premise and the need for more stories that explore the world through children’s perspectives.

• Rasika has spoken about the relative scarcity of Indian films that place a child’s world at the centre of the narrative.

• Little Thomas is directed by Kaushal Oza and backed by Anurag Kashyap. It stars Rasika Dugal, Gulshan Devaiah and Hridansh Parekh.

• The film follows a young boy in 1990s Goa whose wish for a sibling and questions about where babies come from lead into a larger family story.