Well-known children's writer, Anushka Ravishankar, novelised the movie, written and directed by Kukunoor.  

 

At the launch in Kolkata, Kukunoor was accompanied by the child protagonists of the movie, Krrish Chabria and Hetal Gada, who played the roles of orphaned siblings Chotu and Pari.

 

Introducing the book and the cast to the audience at STORY, author Jash Sen (of The Wordkeepers fame) said this is the first Indian novelisation of a children's movie.

 

Although K A Abbas had novelised his movies Mera Naam Joker and Bobby, it has not been a common practice in India, less so for children's films, said Sen.

 

The story of Dhanak (Rainbow) revolves around Pari and her visually challenged younger brother Chotu. Pari has promised Chotu that she will get his vision back by his ninth birthday. With only a couple of months left for the birthday, Pari, at her wit's end, chances upon a poster for 'donate your eyes' campaign by Shah Rukh Khan at a rural cinema hall and decides to seek the actor's help to secure her brother's sight. Journeying from their remote village in the desert to Jaisalmer, the children come across many surprises and trials, where they meet both friends and foes. But what happens at the end?

 

The movie Dhanak is releasing on June 17 across theatres in India. The book, published by Duckbill Books, is priced at Rs 199 and available at all outlets of STORY.

 

Dhanak was filmed in July 2014 in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer.

 

Besides Hetal and Krrish, the film also includes Gulfam Khan, Vipin Sharma, Vibha Chibber, Vijaya Maurya, Rajiv Laxman, among others. The movie is produced by Manish Mundra, Nagesh Kukunoor and Elahe Hiptoola and presented by Drishyam Films.

 

Dhanak premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2015. It has won a plethora of awards, including Berlin Film Festival (Generation K-Plus), Grand Prix for the Best Feature Film (International Jury) 2015, International Children's Film Festival of India-Hyderabad, INIS Prize for Originality 2016, etc.

 

STORY at Elgin Road, Kolkata, is eastern India's largest standalone bookstore and a leisure destination. An initiative from the Primarc Group, the Elgin Road outlet covers an area of 15,000 sq feet. It has a massive collection of books of all genres and a dedicated floor for children. The best basket of collectible pens and writing accessories is available in the Pen and Ink section while the Art Street section offers art material and accessories. The Gift it! section has bountiful of special gift items, the Greetings section boasts of a wide range of all reasons greeting cards whereas the Papershop & Stationery section has a comprehensive range of house paper and stationery material of different kinds. There are a total of four STORY outlets in West Bengal. Besides Elgin Road, they are at Diamond Plaza Mall (Nageer Bazar, Kolkata) Avani River Side Mall (Howrah) and Junction Mall (Durgapur). 

 

 

Image: Dhanak book launch at STORY, Kolkata