The film has been premiered at various national and international film festivals and won 16 awards so far. It was released theatrically in India on 14 November 2019.[15][1]
Synopsis
A life-altering disappearance of her 7-year old brother sets Jhalki off on a mission to find him at all costs.[16]Armed with an intimate folk-tale and her own sharp mind, is Jhalki's journey the start of a spiral that will change the lives of thousands for good? What price must she pay to get what she wants?[17]Inspired by true events, with a backdrop of human-trafficking and child-labour, Jhalki becomes an atypical thriller of hope, courage, self-belief and perseverance, seen through the eyes of a 9-year-old girl, who will not stop anywhere short of a triumph.[18]
After watching the film, some big stakeholders have come on board as partners, who have felt the need to promote the film for maximum number of viewers to increase awareness and inspire people with the courage & life skills of Jhalki.
The film is also proposed as one of the first films to establish a new genre of films - Cinema for Change.[36] Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation[37] is promoting the film through Mukti Caravan and Picture Time[38] wherein the film is screened for children, village communities, policy makers, chief ministers, judiciary, bureaucrats, MPs and MLAs, law enforcement agencies and national and state commissions for protection of child rights.[citation needed] Apart from KSCF, 9 other NGO partners are on board (Cry, Light of Life Trust, Udaan, Save The Children, Angel Xpress, Aangan, Salaam Baalak Trust, Prayas and Akshara Foundation) who are promoting and screening the film for their respective work areas and donor base by running special campaigns. Conversations with the Education Ministry[39] and Women & Child Development Ministry are in progress for having screenings across all government aided schools. Effective international associations,[40] advocacy groups, Non-profit organizations globally and Social Impact Media Partners are in conversations to collaborate. UNICEF,[41][42] along with Massachusetts Coalition to End Human Trafficking, New England International Donors[43] and Tufts Institute for Global Leadership have already started the process.
A unique collaboration with Picture Time[44] to reach the film in various ways (ticketed & sponsored) has already begun. These are van-mounted mobile theatres which takes 2.5 hours to be made fully functional, complete with air-conditioning, seating arrangements and world class high-definition digital projection and 5.1 Dolby surround sound for a high quality Cinema experience to every corner of the country, especially rural areas.[45]
Box-Office collection
The film earned 1.96 crores INR (approx.) at the box-office in its first week of release.[46][47]
Reviews
Brahmanand deals with a subject that is sensitive and socially alarming. --Times Of India
A cinematic tribute to Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi. --The Hindu
Jhalki's earnestness and ability to spark a debate, is great humanitarianism on screen. --GlamSham[48][49]
It is not every day that you find a Hindi film that is backed by a Nobel laureate. –Cinestaan
Trust National Award-winning filmmaker Brahmanand S Siingh to leave no stone unturned when backing a project that has the potential to impact lives. --Entertainment Times (Times of India)
Jhalki is Brahmanand's humanitarian plea for hope, childhood & calls for innocence --CineBlues
...winning hearts of the audience --BollywoodTown
The film is so human and it's so simple. I didn't even realize when and how often I cried in the film. --Bhawana Somaaya, Film Critic
Film bohot samvedansheel tareeke se iss mudde ko chhooti hai. Film bohot badha koi dawa nahi karti hai na aisi koi promise karti hai, bohothi chhoti kahani hai aur chhote tareeke se apna... bohot hi halke fulke andaaz mein apni baat keh jaati hai. --Ajay Brahmatmaj, Film Critic
'For anyone of us who has ever cared for the future of our children Jhalki is a heartwarming at times heart-stopping saga about the loss of innocence and a flash of hope.’ ! --Subhash K Jha, Film Critic[50]
"JHALKI" - Raw. Real. Relevant. ‘Jhalki’ is a refreshing take on brother-sister bonding. The ensemble cast gets into the skin of their characters while Aarti's performance will make you go ‘awww’ while Goraksh is earnest to the core. Brahmanand's writing will tug your heartstrings while his direction is sensitive. Don't miss this innocent, sweet, but small yet big (in concept) film! --Bhavikk Sangghvi, Film Critic
What a beautiful film ... it's very rare that you get to watch such mindful content. --Anurag Pandey, RJ
Director Brahmanand Singh takes this story through realistic lane and that was needed. -- Cinespeaks[51]
It's not just a visual experience but also a life transforming experience. --Neelam Kumar, Best Selling Author
I wish it could be shown to many more children perhaps to every school and make it compulsory for every school kid to see it. Perhaps to every organization, women's organization all the Rotary Clubs, all the Lions Club ... --Dolly Thakore, Thespian
Jhalki, in her own way, is a super hero without a cape ... --Deepa Gahlot, Film Critic, Author, Journalist[52]
Jhalki is a humanitarian plea for hope, childhood & call for innocence --Vishal Verma[53]
A heartwarmingly emotional as well as a feel good film, which you should not give a miss. --Bolly.com[54][55]
Rarely do we see meaningful films with serious backdrop which are so entertaining, engaging and inspiring. -- Business Standard[56]
Kailash Satyarthi's life-time of work[57] of his crusade against human trafficking and child labour gets crystallized into one smooth story of conviction, courage and love. And what gets questioned in the process, is the inhuman practice of the people reaping benefit from the racket. -- ANI[58]
