Rajender Sonkar on Friday said he would ensure that his daughter, eight-year-old Pinki, becomes a doctor. For it was surgery that transformed the cleft-lipped girl and made her the protagonist of the Oscar winning film Smile Pinki.Directed by American filmmaker Megan Mylan, the 39-minute film shows how the girl was a social outcast before free surgery, conducted on her to correct her cleft lip, transformed her not just physically but also emotionally.
Sonkar along with his daughter and Varanasi-based surgeon Subodh Kumar Singh, who operated upon Pinki, was among the people who walked the red carpet at the 81st Annual Academy Awards.
“I’m happy for Pinki. She got such a big opportunity. But more than being happy about the award that the film has won, I’m glad she doesn’t have a cleft lip anymore and can live a better life,” said an elated Sonkar who didn’t know what the Oscars were before the film got nominated.