Kitaab (1977)

Babla, a lively, mischievous boy from a village, is sent to live with his older sister and her husband in the city so that he can go to a good school. Bored by lessons, scolded at home and longing for his mother, he decides to run away with a friend, and his journey outside, among strangers and the unfamiliar world of adults, teaches him more than the book of the title ever could. Gulzar adapted the film from a Bengali story by Samaresh Basu and gave the great Bengali star Uttam Kumar one of his rare Hindi roles. R. D. Burman's music includes the children's favourite A B C D Chhodo and Dhanno Ki Aankhon Mein, and Master Raju gives one of the best child performances of Hindi cinema.