Mumbai, April 17

Writer-filmmaker-child activist Amole Gupte has decided to create another child actor on a par if not more equipped and skilled than Darsheel Safary of "Taare Zameen Par" (TZP) fame. He is nine-year-old Partho and he has been put through the most comprehensive acting course for his role in "Stanley Ka Dabba".

"With Darsheel I didn't get as much time to teach him about cinema as I wished. With Partho it was different. I introduced him to the world cinema at the age of four. He attended acting and film workshops from that age," said Gupte.

"He isn't just a qualified child actor, he is a skilled actor. Partho understands the requirements of a child actor from within the camera range. He knows how to internalise a character and then put it forward. He has watched films about children with children in the lead, including the cinema of the Iranian maestro Majid Majidi," added the director who played a negative role in "Kaminey".

Gupte won't admit that Partho was born out of a feeling of betrayal that he suffered when "Taare Zammen Par" was taken away.

"That was so long ago. The past is washed away. I met Darsheel recently and he ran to me warmly. I've been working relentlessly with children in my organization Aseema. Every child is an individual. We can't compare Darsheel and Partho. But I can say this much - Partho has understood his character's requirements as well as any mature actor in this country," he said.

Darsheel and TZP changed the way child actors appeared on screen.

Amole protested: "Why 'Taare Zameen Par'? I'd say Shekhar Kapoor's 'Masoom' heralded a new natural style of acting by a child actor. Jugal Hansraj melted the viewers' hearts. I'd like to believe little Partho has the same quality."

Interestingly, Partho in "Stanley Ka Dabba" and Darsheel in "Zokkomom" will be seen within a month of one another.