As World Autism Day was observed all over the city, or rather all over the country and the world on Monday, a short film on the issue by a young director Shivalik Shankar is creating waves internationally and contributing to creating awareness about the problem and how to tackle it.
In the short film, “let Me Be”, an autistic teenager is oblivious to the daily challenges he creates for his parents and resists when they decide on a foster care. But his ideas are clear, his thought process is linear and his escape to the beach is his way of telling not only his parents but the entire world to let him be.
Shankar, the Director of the film, is a los Angeles based filmmaker from New Delhi. He finished high school from Bluebells International School in 2012 where he made numerous short films. As a child, he grew to love the art of storytelling, making documentaries and short films.
“I like a strong storyline, a message to spread across and Autism is one issue which needs to be understood better and across all societies,” said Shankar, here in Chandigarh on World Autism Day.
The Director, who is also the co-writer of the movie, has worked on various television shows and feature films and his dedication to the entertainment industry led him to pursue filmmaking in los Angeles. He is a recent graduate from the New York Film Academy.
let Me Be is the story of everyday challenges unknowingly created by an autistic teenager Ron for his parents. Jamie and Martin struggle to cope with Ron's day-today needs as he often gets obstinate about little whims and fancies. Ron likes to draw, read and is most happy when on a beach. Jamie is a hardworking mother, who has lost her natural beauty because of this stress.
The father, Martin, a businessman, finds it a pain to stay back home to look after Ron. The working parents are finding it tough to handle him on their own. Very often they get into loud arguments as the father is intent on a home stay for special children for Ron. All this talk disturbs Ron very much who is happy left alone in his imaginary world on a beach.
Not long ago, Amir Khan made the movie “Tare Zameen par” about an dyslexic child which made people understand dyslexia. Through his short film, Shivalik too has made his point effectively and poignantly, and the message is loud and clear—let them be what they are.