Pasanga (2009) was a heartwarming film about children and their education. It carried a message to parents, about how to mould their children and their future. Pasanga 2 Haiku looks similar, except that it’s in an urban setting. Pasanga 2 revolves around the lives of two children, Kavin and Nayana, who suffer from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Bindu Madhavi, Karthik Kumar, Vidya Pradeep, and Ramadoss play their parents. Suriya and Amala Paul have extended cameos in the film.
Director Pandiraj, speaking at the recent audio launch, said he researched ADHD for almost six months before attempting to write the script. Pasanga 2’s trailer shows us adorable children, who have creative and fun sides to them. Life seems to transform around them as objects around them take on a life of their own. The gap between what’s happening in their worlds, and how the people around them understand what’s happening, is shown first with humour, and then pathos. Initially, people around them treat the condition as a disease. There is a solution, and it involves people outside actually engaging in their world. And perhaps, thereby, making their own worlds more fun as well. Pasanga 2 is expected to be an eye opener on the subject. According to the filmmakers, there is a lot of misinformation about ADHD, even in educated families. Pasanga 2 Haiku was initially titled Haiku, but the titled was changed in order to avail of tax exemptions.
Comparisons to Taare Zameen Par are inevitable, as both films have a common theme of children with disabilities. We’ll have to wait and see if Pasanga 2 can give us a similarly refreshing insight into the life of a disabled child.