Respect children as theatre audiences, says Mohan Agashe

Kolkata: Noted theatre and film actor Mohan Agashe on Friday said children should be viewed as "intelligent" theatre audiences.

Agashe, a psychiatrist by profession, is well-known for introducing the GRIPS children theatre (a Berlin-based theatre) movement in Pune.

He was in the city to participate in the inauguration of the third Kolkata International Children's Film Festival

"We do theatre with the children no doubt, but considering children as an intelligent audience and doing theatre for them with respect as an audience is far more important," Agashe said at the opening ceremony.

"Children's film festival should also keep that in mind that how they look at the world from their point of view."

With respect to the films on offer, he stressed that specific age groups should be demarcated for the youngsters to better relate to the films that cater to a variety of ages.

A bouquet of 186 films spanning 22 countries will entertain children during the eight-day festival.