'Pappu ki Pugdandi' opens NCFF

New Delhi, Nov 15 (IANS) The National Children's Film Festival (NCFF) opened with a packed screening of Seemaa Desai's "Pappu ki Pugdandi" at the Siri Fort Auditorium here.

The tale of Pappu's adventurous and magical journey, which stars Atul Parchure (genie) and Hardik Khanna (Pappu), was screened Friday.

The film tells the story of a young boy, Pappu, who belongs to a lower middle class family living in Manali. It is the portrayal of his struggles when his rich classmates make fun of his humble background.

Pappu meets a genie in his tree house who doesn't help him by magic but tells him to find his own strengths and makes him realise that there is no shortcut to happiness.

The 90-minute film, which is produced by Children's Film Society India, is directed by Seemaa Desai, who started her career as assistant director at B.R Films and assisted late filmmaker Ravi Chopra when he went on to direct a daily soap "Aurat".

The film was screened in front of children from various schools of the capital and ended with a huge round of applause.

NCFF, organised by the Children's Film Society of India (CFSI), was inaugurated by Finance minister Arun Jaitley at Siri Fort Auditorium here, Friday.