Gurprasad Singh’s short ‘Sare Jahan Se Accha’ deals with an important yet painful subject: abuse. There has been quite a while since we had such a powerful short movie focused on abuse, and mainly on child abuse. In the film bio, Singh states, and we quote, that “it addresses the issue of child abuse in a subtle manner, just giving a glimpse of what it feels to be robbed of one's honor and dignity at a tender age.’- but we think it is more than that; Singh’s story is the wake-up call the world deserves. This story tells so much with so little, and we truly appreciate the simple yet comprehensive way in which 'Sare Jahan Se Accha' was created and told.

 

The victim girl, Azma, could easily be the face of a brand new campaign against abuse; the whole interaction with her in this short can be resumed at one facial expression, the one of the lost soul. She is a victim, a lost soul, a person who died inside right at the beginning of her journey. She jumped over pain and other earthly emotions, and all we can see in her eyes is the calm one can usually find locked in the eyes of a sacrificed baby goat. The level of emotion this short delivers is overwhelming, and there is no other way of watching it than not only with both of your eyes, but with your heart too.

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The schoolgirl, Rameshah, is refusing to write on her notebook what she thinks of her friend. Her protest can be seen at a large scale – we all are Rameshah, and we are powerless! The whole world is doomed, animal species are going extinct every day, and we as individuals (well, most of us) cannot do anything. The frustration is real and painful and we can wholeheartedly feel it. We want to save, we want to be the helping hand but we can’t do this on our own. This is how Rameshah feels about her friend. 

 

Gurprasad Singh’s short has a powerful message, reason why we all have to open our eyes and see it before it’s too late. 

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Written by Vlad A. G