Chhotu is a quick, cheerful boy from a poor family who is sent to work at a roadside dhaba run by the kind-hearted but gruff Bhati. One day he sees A. P. J. Abdul Kalam on television, learns that the former President also came from humble beginnings, and decides to call himself Kalam. He soaks up knowledge wherever he can find it and strikes up a secret friendship with Ranvijay, a lonely young prince from the nearby palace, swapping lessons for companionship across the gulf of class. The friendship cannot stay hidden forever. I Am Kalam was the debut feature of Nila Madhab Panda and was made with the support of a children's charity. Harsh Mayar won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist for the title role, and the film travelled widely to international festivals, praised for its warmth and its look at child labour.
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