Adam J. Graves’ short film ‘Anuja’, about a gifted 9-year-old girl, backed by big names like Guneet Monga, Priyanka Chopra and Mindy Kaling, has bagged the Oscar nomination in the Best Short Film (Live Action) category.
‘Anuja’, produced in collaboration with the non-profit organization Salaam Baalak Trust (SBT), supporting street and working children, follows a 9-year-old, back-alley garment factory worker, and her sister Palak, where the young protagonist is ‘offered with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend school’, but she is forced to make a heart-wrenching decision that will determine her and her sister’s fate.
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But do you know? Child actor Sajda Pathan, who essayed the titular role in the short film has quite a similar story to Anuja of her own.
To start with, ‘Anuja’ is not the first on-screen performance of Sajda Pathan. She has previously worked in Laetitia Colombani’s French film ‘The Braid’ (La Tresse), sharing the screen with Mia Maelzer.
While Pathan currently resides in SBT’s Day Care Center, she was rescued by the NGO from the slums and used to work as a child labourer in Delhi.
