Children of War (2014 film)

Cast

Production

While writing the film's script, Devvrat researched the topic thoroughly, which included interviews with various journalists, war veterans, and refugees. Filming for The Bastard Child was supposed to take place in Bengal, but the film was forced to relocate after only 8 days of shooting due to problems with the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India, as there were issues with the amount of local hands hired to work on the movie. Filming also took place around Delhi and Haryana, and overall filming for The Bastard Child occurred mostly at night. In 2013 Farooq Sheikh was confirmed to be performing in the film, only for rumors to surface that he be replacing Sabyasachi Chakraborty in the movie. Devvrat addressed these rumors in June 2013, stating that Chakraborty was still part of the movie but that his original role had been split into two different characters due to the director wanting to avoid further potential issues with the Federation of Cine Technicians and Workers of Eastern India. The production for The Bastard Child experienced further issues with the film's release, as the Indian Motion Picture Producers Association did not approve of the movie's title, which included the word "bastard". Devvrat responded to the criticism over the title, stating that he did not intend for the word to be seen as offensive.

Of her role in the film, Raima Sen felt that it was "one of the toughest roles she has portrayed on screen in the recent past."

Reception & awards

Critical reception so far has been positive. Live Mint gave a positive review for the movie, which they felt contained "beautifully filmed grief and devastation". Subhash K. Jha also gave a positive review, he stated "It is impossible to believe that this war epic has been directed by a first-time filmmaker. How can a virgin artiste conceive such a vivid portrait of the rape of a civilization?"