The Circle

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The Circle is a documentary film about the transformational power of yoga in curing drug addiction in the street children of Mumbai. The film focuses on the centre in Dharavi, which finds and takes in some of the most vulnerable members of society, ultimately reforming their lives. The documentary tells the tale of four street children through their individual stories, portraying their harrowing ordeals whilst living on the streets. We hear how they fall into a cycle of addiction - one from the age of just seven - how they live out of dustbins, and survive simply by selling rubbish, using drugs to block out their inner pain. As the film was shot organically over two years, we witness their gradual transformation: We see them going to school, forming friendships with other boys in the centre and beginning the process of rebuilding their self-esteem and hope for the future. The film gives a vivid insight into daily life in the centre and the people who run it, some of whom were themselves street children struggling with addiction. They, like the children they look after, have managed to overcome terrible hardship to turn their life full circle and become role models for everyone afflicted by addiction. The Circle is a moving, at times disturbing, but ultimately uplifting tale of the human spirit.