'Trisha' tackles issue of child trafficking

MUMBAI (Reuters) - A new film about a penniless couple forced to sell their newborn baby explores the problem of child trafficking in India.

"Trisha - The Mirage", based on a true incident, depicts how a doctor inveigles the couple into giving up their child - an example of what director Sushen Bhatnagar calls a nexus between doctors and child traffickers.

"Children who are just born are being sold off to affluent childless couples, sold off to people who turn them into beggars or smuggle them out of India," he told Reuters. "It is a huge racket."

Bhatnagar said his film will sensitise audiences about the issue.

"It is a very urban phenomenon where the poor and the lower middle class are exploited and their emotions are being manipulated."

"Trisha - The Mirage" is expected to open in cinemas later this year.