Bijoygarh: A world of villains defeated by this one superhero - that's 13-year-old Mahabrata Basu's favourite role in his imaginary world.

He loves to dwell in many such parallel lives while roaming around the garden at his Bijoygarh home and playing with stray dogs, even as other kids his age are busy juggling school, tuitions and various activity classes. His parents also let him be, not subjecting him to the pressure of exams, expectations or rote learning.

Life, however, changed for Mahabrata the day he was selected as the central character for a mainstream Bengali film - Rainbow Jelly - that will be released next month.

The film's protagonist is a special child named Ghoton, who battles odds to achieve his dream. The 16-day shoot was preceded by a three-month workshop, which helped Mahabrata gain confidence.

"I could do it like Ghoton," gushed the boy over a chat on Wednesday, recollecting how every milestone cost a lot of effort.

Mahabrata was struck by septicaemia an hour after his birth. "Since then his development has been slow," explained mother Gargi. From being a slow learner to having speech defect and digestion trouble, Mahabrata had problems galore as a child. "For years he had trouble swallowing his food. He could not be integrated into a rigid academic system. My husband and I let him learn at his own pace," said Gargi, a lawyer and academician by profession.

Theatre is one thing that has been attracting the boy since his childhood. "I was five when I was pushed on stage. I could hardly mouth dialogues, but I still tried," said the boy, who had attended an integrated school Shamil till Class VI. "We were less than 15 students in our school, so my teachers supported me a lot. We had no classes or exams and I was free to pursue my interests."

Making friends with 31-year-old filmmaker Soukarya Ghosal further helped Mahabrata bloom.

It took a lot of effort by the boy to be camera-ready, though. "My mother would read the script again and again to help me memorise it. I had never memorised so much in the past," Mahabrata said.

According to Soukarya, who also produced the film, it was the boy's 100 watt smile that won him over. "For seven days I engaged him in a spoon-marble balance exercise to strengthen his concentration power. With every success the child's confidence grew and he wanted to achieve more," recounted Soukarya. Post-workshop, not only did he sail through his 16-day shoot but also his entrance exam for Class VII at Patha Bhavan.

The Messi fan hopes to catch up with para friends over football now that he is free. "Only, my friends never have time for me, given their hectic academic schedule. But I am looking forward to some more acting in between lessons," he said.