Jai

Jai is defined by the tension between what he believes about himself and what he reveals himself to be. What he does not perceive is that he is a boy, a product of an overworked and under-resourced public education system, growing up in poverty and facing a grim future with few expectations. At first, given the limits of a first-person narrative, 9-year-old Jai comes across as cheeky and cocky, independent and confident way beyond his years, able to negotiate the treacherous and dangerous streets of his slum neighborhood with audacity and unexpected resourcefulness. Jai early on believes he is the master detective, that his two friends are at best his sidekicks although both Pari and Faiz will reveal a maturity that Jai entirely lacks.

However, Jai is not so much confident as he is unaware. When neighborhood children start to go missing, Jai tackles the mystery with confidence...