Kaushal Oza's 'Little Thomas', a 1990s Goa-set children's film starring Gulshan Devaiah, Rasika Dugal and Hridansh Parekh, will release in Indian theatres on Oct. 23.

The film follows seven-year-old Thomas, an only child who desperately wants a baby brother. When he is told that his parents need to kiss to have another child, Thomas sets out to make his quarrelling parents perform what he considers the necessary act.

Devaiah and Dugal play Thomas' parents, while Parekh plays the titular character. Oza has written and directed the film, which is his feature debut.

Oza is an alumnus of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), Pune, and a two-time National Film Award winner. His first short film, 'Vaishnav Jan Toh', won the National Film Award for Best Debut Film of a Director. His second short, 'Afterglow', also won a National Film Award, making him the only FTII student to receive the honour for consecutive short films, according to his festival biography.

Oza subsequently directed 'The Miniaturist of Junagadh', which starred Naseeruddin Shah, Rasika Dugal and Raj Arjun. The film premiered at the New York Indian Film Festival and screened at more than 25 international festivals, where it won seven Best Film awards.

In 2021, Oza founded Luminoso Pictures. 'Little Thomas' was developed through the NFDC Children's Screenwriters' Lab in 2016, before becoming his first feature as a director.

Anurag Kashyap is among the film's producers, alongside Ranjan Singh, Kabir Ahuja, Anushka Shah, Kaushal Oza, Charu Oza and Rajnikant Oza. The film is produced through Luminoso Pictures, Civic Studios, Good Bad Films and Ranjan Singh's Flip Films.

Kashyap's involvement also marks his return to children's cinema as a producer after his 2007 animated directorial film 'Return of Hanuman'. Oza has previously described Kashyap as a producer who gave him considerable creative freedom during the making of 'Little Thomas'.

Oza has described 'Little Thomas' as a film inspired by his childhood. Dugal has said the film was made without talking down to children, while Devaiah has described it as a story about a simple family in Goa.

'Little Thomas' is scheduled to open in Indian theatres on Oct. 23.