In 2009, a documentary titled Smile Pinki won the Academy Award in the Best Documentary (Short Subject) category. This project, directed by Megan Mylan, depicted the story of two children from rural India named Pinki Sonkar and Ghutaru. Both kids suffered from severe cleft lips and received life-changing surgeries.
At the time, Pinki Sonkar was only five years old. It has been 15 years since the documentary’s release and she is currently 21. Pinki once walked the red carpet with top Hollywood names and also made an appearance in the 2013 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Finals. Unfortunately, none of this helped her escape from the shackles of poverty. According to the Daily Mail, the aforementioned documentary did not improve her living conditions and her hope of a better tomorrow never materialized.
Pinki Sonkar lives in a village called Rampur Dhabahi, which is located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In an exclusive interview with MailOnline, the 20-year-old revealed that her life was still difficult, and she still lived in poverty. She stated, “Life has always been difficult for me, and nothing really changed after the film. We were poor then and we’re poor now. When I went to America for the Oscars, we were living in a mud hut. And things aren’t much better now.”
She further said, “I was praying that life would improve because a lot of promises were made to me by the film people and some politicians. But as you can see, it was all talk. Things are still miserable.”
According to IMDb, the synopsis of Smile Pinki reads, “A real-world fairy-tale about the journey of Pinki and Ghutaru, two children in rural India whose lives are forever changed by a simple surgery they never imagined possible.”
Pinki Sonkar currently lives in a home that lacks basic facilities
According to The Daily Mail, Pinki Sonkar lives in an old house with her parents and three siblings. Furthermore, their courtyard does not have a roof, and the family eats, cooks, and wash clothes here. In addition, several chickens run around this place.
The Daily Mail also reported that Pinki’s home does not have a bathroom. There is no constant supply of water, gas, or electricity, and the dream of Wifi at this point is unimaginable. To relieve themselves, the family has to go to the fields behind their home. Pinki Sonkar explained that life is hard and full of agony for the poor. She said, “‘Life is never easy for poor people. It is full of pain, but we cannot afford to think about this too much. I am disappointed that people didn’t help me as much as they said they would but what can you do?”
She furthermore stated that her current goal was to improve the lives of her family. “My priority now is to try and make something of myself so that I can give my family the best.”
Pinki Sonkar’s family does not have a TV, important electrical appliances, or furniture. Furthermore, they use a shabby bed as a sofa and own some plastic chairs. Her father, 45-year-old Rajinder Sonkar makes around £50 per month, which is much less than the monthly salary an average Indian makes. Even though money is scarce, Rajinder stated that they don’t go hungry. “‘We don’t go hungry but there is little money for other things. Life is a big challenge for poor people like us, but we try to get on with things. What other choice do we have?.”
Rajinder further revealed that their conditions improved because the Indian government helped them. Back in 2008, they lived in a mud house, but now they have two brick rooms. They began building two more rooms years ago, however, they currently lack the financial strength to do so. With tears in his eyes, Pinki’s father stated, “Our home has been like a building site for many years and there’s little chance that this will change. I’m sure the film made a lot of money for some people but not for us.”
Pinki Sonkar recalled her trip to London
In the same conversation with MailOnline, Pinki recalled her trip to the UK. She stated that she saw a lot of “beautiful things” but couldn’t remember what they were called. Furthermore, she explained how her hotel room was very comfortable and she felt like a princess on its bed. She said, “There was a big house where the Queen lived and a large clock tower close to the river which made a lot of noise. But my main memory is how bland the food was and the lovely hotel room, which had such a comfortable bed. I had never slept in a bed like this before, I felt like a princess.”
Notably, Pinki also met Andy Murray and Novak Djokovic ahead of the 2013 Wimbledon Men’s Singles Finals. However, she is not into tennis and prefers cricket.
Despite harsh conditions, Pinki Sonkar is still hopeful of a better future. She is adamant about beating poverty one day.
