Who is Sara Arjun?
Today let’s talk about Sara Arjun Biography: In the glittering, often unpredictable world of Indian cinema, child actors occupy a special place. They bring innocence, spontaneity, and emotional authenticity that can elevate entire films. Yet the path of child stardom is fraught with challenges, the pressure of early fame, the difficulty of transitioning to adult roles, the risk of being typecast or forgotten. Among the numerous child actors who have graced Indian screens, Sara Arjun stands out as someone who has navigated this challenging landscape with remarkable maturity, delivering performances that have earned critical acclaim and captured audiences’ hearts across multiple film industries.
From her breakthrough performance in “Deiva Thirumagal” to her work across Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Telugu cinema, Sara Arjun has demonstrated versatility, emotional depth, and professionalism that belie her young age. Her journey from adorable commercial baby to accomplished young actress offers insights into talent, opportunity, family support, and the evolving landscape of Indian cinema.
Sara Arjun Biography

Sara Arjun Early Life: A Star is Born
Sara Arjun was born on June 18, 2005, in Mumbai, Maharashtra, into a family with connections to the entertainment industry. Her father, Arjun, works in the film industry, which would later prove crucial in providing her with early opportunities and guidance as she navigated the complex world of cinema. Growing up in Mumbai, India’s entertainment capital, meant being surrounded by the film industry’s energy, creativity, and opportunities.
From an extraordinarily young age, Sara demonstrated qualities that would serve her well in acting—an expressive face, natural comfort in front of cameras, and an ability to take direction and convey emotions authentically. These qualities didn’t go unnoticed, and her family recognized that she possessed something special that could translate to screen success.
Her entry into the entertainment world came even before she could walk or talk coherently. As a baby, Sara appeared in numerous television commercials, becoming one of the most recognizable baby faces in Indian advertising. These early commercial appearances served several purposes—they provided experience in front of cameras, taught her (as much as a toddler can learn) about the technical aspects of filming, and built her comfort level in professional filming environments.
These commercial appearances also built her portfolio and reputation within the industry. Casting directors, advertisers, and filmmakers began recognizing her as a reliable, photogenic child who could deliver what was needed for commercials. This early exposure would later open doors to more substantial acting opportunities.
The Commercial Years: Sara Arjun Building a Foundation
Throughout her early childhood, Sara Arjun appeared in dozens of television commercials for major brands. These weren’t just local or regional commercials but national campaigns for prominent companies, making her face familiar to millions of Indian households even before she appeared in her first film.
Working in commercials at such a young age provided invaluable training. She learned to take direction from various directors with different styles and expectations. She experienced the technical aspects of filming—lights, cameras, multiple takes, the need to replicate performances consistently. She developed comfort and confidence in front of cameras that many adult actors take years to achieve.
For brands, child actors like Sara offered something valuable—the ability to evoke emotional responses from audiences, to make products seem family-friendly and trustworthy, and to create memorable advertising that cut through the clutter. Sara’s expressive face and natural screen presence made her particularly effective in commercials, leading to repeated bookings.
Her parents played a crucial role during this period, ensuring that the commercial work didn’t interfere with her education and normal childhood development. Balancing school, play, social development, and professional commitments is challenging for child actors, and parental support and management are essential for maintaining healthy balance.
Sara Arjun Breakthrough: “Deiva Thirumagal” (2011)
Sara Arjun’s transition from commercial work to serious acting came with her casting in “Deiva Thirumagal” (2011), a Tamil-language drama directed by A.L. Vijay and starring Vikram, one of Tamil cinema’s most respected actors. This would prove to be her breakthrough role, the performance that transformed her from a commercial child model into a recognized actress.
“Deiva Thirumagal” told the emotionally powerful story of Krishna, a mentally challenged man with the intellectual capacity of a five-year-old, and his six-year-old daughter Nila. The film explored their beautiful father-daughter relationship, the legal battle over custody when authorities question Krishna’s ability to parent, and ultimately, themes of love, family, and what truly defines good parenting.
Sara was cast as Nila, Krishna’s daughter—a role that required extraordinary emotional range and maturity for such a young actress. The character needed to be believable as a six-year-old child while also conveying complex emotions—love for her father, confusion about why people questioned their relationship, sadness when separated from him, and ultimately, courage in advocating for their family.
Sara’s performance was nothing short of remarkable. She brought authenticity and emotional depth to Nila that elevated the entire film. Her chemistry with Vikram was palpable and believable—they truly seemed like father and daughter with a deep, loving bond. The scenes depicting their relationship, their playfulness together, and their heartbreak when separated moved audiences to tears.
What made her performance particularly impressive was that she was essentially carrying half the emotional weight of the film alongside an established star known for his intense performances. Many child actors would have been overwhelmed by this responsibility or overshadowed by a powerful co-star. Instead, Sara held her own, delivering a performance that complemented Vikram’s without being diminished by it.
The film was both a critical and commercial success. It received praise for its sensitive handling of disability, mental health, and parenting, and for its emotional storytelling. Sara’s performance was specifically highlighted by critics, with many noting that her natural, unaffected acting style brought authenticity that elevated the film’s emotional impact.
She won the Filmfare Award for Best Child Artist for her performance—recognition that confirmed what audiences already felt, that they had witnessed something special. At just six years old, Sara had delivered one of the most memorable child performances in recent Tamil cinema.
RSara Arjun ecognition and Impact
The success of “Deiva Thirumagal” had multiple impacts on Sara’s career and life. She became a recognized name in Tamil cinema, with audiences and filmmakers alike aware of her talent. Offers for other film roles began coming in, providing opportunities to continue developing her craft.
The film also demonstrated that she could handle emotionally complex material and work effectively with established stars. This reputation for professionalism and talent despite her young age made directors and producers confident in casting her in substantial roles rather than just cute child parts.
“Deiva Thirumagal” was later remade in multiple languages—as “Nanna” in Kannada, and inspiration for “Ajji” in Marathi and a planned Hindi remake. While Sara didn’t appear in these remakes (different child actors were cast), the fact that her role was considered essential enough to be carefully recast in each version spoke to its importance in the original film.
The recognition brought challenges too. Suddenly Sara was no longer just another child but a known actress with expectations attached to her name. Maintaining privacy, continuing normal education and childhood activities, and managing the attention that comes with recognition required careful navigation by her and her family.
Expanding Horizons: Sara Arjun Work Across Indian Cinema
Following the success of “Deiva Thirumagal,” Sara Arjun worked across multiple Indian film industries, demonstrating linguistic and cultural versatility that many adult actors struggle to achieve.
Tamil Cinema
She continued working in Tamil films, including “Saivam” (2014), another film where she played a significant role. “Saivam” was a film about the bond between a grandfather and granddaughter and their relationship with a rooster, exploring themes of compassion, vegetarianism, and respect for all living beings.
Her performance in “Saivam” showed growth as an actress—more nuanced, more controlled, demonstrating increasing technical skill alongside her natural talent. The film performed well and further established her as one of Tamil cinema’s most talented child actors.
Malayalam Cinema
Sara also worked in Malayalam cinema, the film industry of Kerala. Malayalam cinema is known for its emphasis on realistic storytelling and strong performances, making it a challenging but rewarding industry for actors to work in.
Her Malayalam films allowed her to demonstrate her ability to adapt to different cinematic styles and storytelling approaches. Working across different language industries also demonstrated her linguistic flexibility—she worked in languages she didn’t natively speak, learning lines and delivering them convincingly.
Hindi Cinema
Sara made her Hindi film debut with “Daddy” (2017), a biographical crime film starring Arjun Rampal as gangster-turned-politician Arun Gawli. In this film, she played the younger version of Gawli’s daughter, appearing in flashback sequences that were crucial for establishing character relationships and motivations.
Working in Hindi cinema, based primarily in Mumbai where she grew up, represented a homecoming of sorts. Hindi cinema (Bollywood) is the largest and most commercially prominent Indian film industry, and establishing a presence there opened additional opportunities.
Telugu Cinema
She also appeared in Telugu films, further expanding her reach across Indian cinema. This pan-Indian presence—working in Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Telugu films—is relatively rare, especially for child actors, and demonstrated both her talent and the industry recognition of that talent.
Working across these different industries required adaptability—different working styles, different expectations, different languages, different cultural contexts. That she navigated these successfully speaks to her professionalism, intelligence, and the quality of guidance she received from her family and mentors.
Sara Arjun Acting Style and Strengths
What distinguishes Sara Arjun as an actress, even at her young age, are several qualities that set her apart:
Natural Authenticity: Her performances feel real rather than acted. She doesn’t overperform or telegraph emotions in the exaggerated way some child actors do. Instead, her emotional expressions feel genuine and spontaneous, even though they’re carefully crafted performances.
Emotional Intelligence: She demonstrates remarkable ability to access and convey complex emotions—sadness, joy, confusion, love, fear—in ways that feel authentic for her character’s age and circumstances. This emotional intelligence is partly natural talent and partly developed through experience and direction.
Technical Competence: Beyond natural talent, she shows technical skill—hitting marks for camera, maintaining continuity across takes, delivering consistent performances through multiple takes, and working effectively with co-actors to create believable relationships.
Listening and Reacting: Great acting isn’t just delivering your lines; it’s listening to others and reacting authentically. Sara demonstrates this skill, making her scenes feel like real interactions rather than people waiting to deliver their lines.
Professionalism: Directors and co-actors have consistently praised her professionalism—showing up prepared, taking direction well, maintaining concentration despite the sometimes chaotic film sets, and handling the demands of professional acting with maturity beyond her years.
Sara Arjun Education and Normal Life Balance
One of the significant challenges for child actors is maintaining balance between professional acting commitments and normal childhood development—education, friendships, play, and the various experiences that contribute to healthy development.
Sara’s family has worked to maintain this balance, ensuring that her education continues alongside her acting career. She has attended regular school, maintaining academic studies that will provide foundation regardless of whether acting remains her career path long-term.
This balance is crucial for several reasons. Education provides cognitive development, knowledge, and skills valuable in any career, including acting. Normal social interactions with peers provide emotional and social development that can’t be replicated on film sets. Maintaining some degree of normal childhood ensures she has experiences and references beyond acting that can inform her performances and provide perspective.
Many child actors who later struggled—either professionally or personally—point to lack of normal childhood experiences and education as contributing factors. By maintaining this balance, Sara’s family has helped protect her wellbeing while allowing her to pursue her talent.
The Transition Challenge
As Sara enters her late teens, she faces a challenge that has derailed many child actors’ careers—the transition to adult roles. This transition is notoriously difficult in cinema worldwide, and Indian cinema is no exception.
The challenges are multiple. Audiences develop strong associations with child actors in particular types of roles, making it difficult for them to accept these actors in adult roles. Physical changes during adolescence can be dramatic, potentially disrupting the “brand” that child actors have established. The roles available change dramatically—cute child parts give way to romantic leads, action heroes, or character roles that require different skills and screen presence.
Many child actors either don’t successfully make this transition, fading from prominence as they age out of child roles but can’t establish themselves in adult roles, or struggle with personal issues related to the pressures of early fame and the identity crisis that can accompany aging out of child stardom.
Sara’s transition is still ongoing. As she matures, she’ll need to find roles that suit her evolving age and abilities while maintaining audience and industry interest. This will require careful choice of roles, continued skill development, and likely some reinvention of her screen persona.
Her versatility—having worked across multiple film industries and genres—potentially helps with this transition. She’s not narrowly typecast and has demonstrated range that could translate to various adult roles.
Sara Arjun Social Media and Public Presence
In the contemporary entertainment landscape, social media plays a significant role in actors’ careers and public profiles. Sara maintains social media presence, primarily Instagram, where she shares glimpses of her life, work, and interests with fans.
Her social media presence reflects her age and personality—posts about films she’s working on, personal photos, interactions with family and friends, and the normal concerns and interests of someone her age. This authentic presentation helps maintain connection with fans while establishing her as a real person beyond her screen roles.
For young actors, social media can be both opportunity and challenge. It provides direct communication with fans and ability to build and maintain public profile without traditional media gatekeeping. However, it also exposes young people to criticism, trolling, and the pressures of maintaining public persona, which can be psychologically challenging.
Sara’s social media presence appears relatively carefully managed—sharing enough to maintain connection and interest while maintaining appropriate boundaries and privacy, particularly important for someone still legally a minor or just entering adulthood.
Sara Arjun Current Status and Future Prospects
As of 2024, Sara Arjun is in her late teens, at a crucial juncture in her career. She has an impressive body of work for her age, recognition across multiple Indian film industries, and established reputation for talent and professionalism. The question now is whether she can successfully transition to adult roles and sustain her career long-term.
Several factors work in her favor. She has demonstrated genuine talent, not just childhood cuteness—talent that could translate to more mature roles. Her experience working across different language industries provides options and flexibility. She has foundation of education and apparently supportive family management that has helped her navigate fame so far.
She’ll need to carefully choose roles that suit her evolving persona, that challenge her and allow her to demonstrate growth as an actress, and that help audiences see her as a mature performer rather than the child they remember. She’ll also need to continue developing her craft—perhaps through formal training, workshops, or mentorship—to ensure her skills match the demands of more complex adult roles.
The next few years will be crucial in determining whether Sara joins the ranks of successful child actors who transitioned to sustained adult careers, or whether she becomes another talented child performer who couldn’t navigate the transition’s challenges.
Sara Arjun Representation and Impact
Sara Arjun’s career, even at this relatively early stage, has had broader impacts beyond her individual success:
Demonstrating Child Acting Potential: Her performances showed Indian filmmakers and audiences what child actors could achieve when given substantial, well-written roles and proper direction. This potentially opened more opportunities for other child actors to be taken seriously.
Pan-Indian Cinema: Her work across multiple language industries embodied the increasing interconnectedness of Indian cinema, where language barriers are becoming less absolute and talent can find opportunities across traditional industry boundaries.
Professionalism Standards: Her reputation for professionalism set standards for how child actors can and should conduct themselves, potentially raising expectations industry-wide.
Emotional Storytelling: Films like “Deiva Thirumagal” that centered emotional relationships involving children demonstrated the commercial and critical viability of such stories, potentially encouraging more films exploring these themes.
Sara Arjun Challenges and Pressures
It’s important to acknowledge the challenges and pressures that come with child stardom, even successful child stardom:
Lost Childhood: However carefully managed, professional acting commitments inevitably consume time and energy that would otherwise go to normal childhood activities. There’s an inherent trade-off, even in best-case scenarios.
Pressure and Expectations: Carrying the emotional weight of films, dealing with criticism if films underperform, and managing expectations creates psychological pressure that’s challenging for adults and potentially overwhelming for children.
Identity Formation: Developing sense of self is complicated when you’re also developing a public persona, when your face and performances are known to millions, and when you’re treated differently than your peers because of fame.
Financial and Career Decisions: While parents/guardians make decisions for child actors, these young people still live with consequences of decisions about roles, career direction, financial management, etc., made when they were too young to fully participate.
Exploitation Risks: Child actors can be vulnerable to exploitation—financial, professional, or worse. While Sara’s career appears to have been well-managed, the entertainment industry’s history includes troubling examples of child actor exploitation.
Acknowledging these challenges doesn’t diminish her achievements but provides important context for understanding child stardom’s complexities.
Sara Arjun Lessons and Observations
Sara Arjun’s career so far offers several lessons about child acting, talent development, and Indian cinema:
Talent Can Emerge Early: Genuine acting talent can manifest at very young ages, as Sara’s performances demonstrate. When properly nurtured and directed, young actors can deliver performances of surprising depth and technical accomplishment.
Family Support Matters: Successful child acting careers seem consistently to involve supportive, protective family management that balances professional opportunities with child welfare and development.
Versatility Creates Opportunities: Sara’s work across multiple film industries provided more opportunities and reduced dependence on any single industry’s fortunes. This diversification seems strategically wise.
Quality Over Quantity: Rather than appearing in numerous films, her relatively selective filmography focused on substantial roles in quality projects seems to have served her career well, building reputation without overexposure.
The Transition Remains Challenging: Despite her success, she still faces the same transition challenge that has defeated many talented child actors. This transition represents a genuine career inflection point whose outcome isn’t predetermined by early success.
Conclusion
Sara Arjun’s story is ultimately an unfinished one. She’s at a pivotal moment—no longer a child actor but not yet an established adult actress, with the next few years likely determining the trajectory of the rest of her career.
What we can assess now is that she has already achieved something remarkable. She delivered performances that moved audiences and earned critical recognition. She demonstrated professionalism and talent that belied her young age. She worked successfully across multiple major Indian film industries, showing versatility and adaptability. She managed to maintain balance between acting career and normal development, emerging seemingly well-adjusted and grounded.
The question isn’t whether she was a talented child actress—that’s clearly established. The question is whether she can navigate the challenging transition to adult roles, whether she can find roles that suit her maturing persona while maintaining audience interest, whether she can continue developing as an actress to meet increasingly complex demands.
For young people with acting aspirations, Sara’s journey offers both inspiration and cautionary lessons. It shows that talent can be recognized and nurtured from an early age, that meaningful work is possible for young actors, and that success can be achieved across different film industries. It also shows the importance of balance, education, family support, and careful career management.
For Indian cinema, Sara Arjun represents something important, proof that child actors can carry significant dramatic weight when given proper material and direction, that audiences will embrace emotionally complex stories involving children, and that young performers deserve to be taken seriously as artists.
As her career continues to unfold, as she navigates the transition from child star to adult actress, as she makes the choices that will define the next chapter of her professional life, Sara Arjun carries not just her own ambitions but also the hopes of those who have been moved by her performances and who want to see talent recognized and nurtured.
The adorable baby from commercials grew into an acclaimed child actress. Whether that child actress successfully becomes an accomplished adult performer remains to be seen. But regardless of what comes next, she has already left her mark on Indian cinema, delivering performances that will be remembered and discussed for years to come.
Her journey reminds us that talent can emerge at any age, that young people can achieve remarkable things when given opportunity and support, and that the work of creating meaningful cinema involves everyone—from the biggest stars to the youngest performers, each contributing their unique gifts to the stories that move us, challenge us, and help us understand ourselves and each other.
Sara Arjun’s story continues to be written, and those who appreciate her talent wait with interest to see what the next chapters bring.

Frequently Asked Questions about Sara Arjun
Who is Sara Arjun and what is she known for?
Sara Arjun is an Indian child actress born on June 18, 2005, in Mumbai, who gained prominence across multiple Indian film industries including Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Telugu cinema. She is best known for her breakthrough performance as Nila in the Tamil film “Deiva Thirumagal” (2011), where she starred alongside Vikram in an emotionally powerful story about a mentally challenged father and his daughter. Her performance in this film, delivered at just six years old, earned her the Filmfare Award for Best Child Artist and widespread critical acclaim for its emotional depth, authenticity, and maturity. Before entering films, she appeared in numerous television commercials as a baby and toddler, becoming one of the most recognizable child faces in Indian advertising. Her other notable films include “Saivam” (2014) in Tamil cinema and “Daddy” (2017) in Hindi cinema. What distinguishes Sara is her natural, authentic acting style, she conveys complex emotions without the exaggeration common in some child performances, demonstrates technical competence in her craft, and has shown professionalism that has earned praise from directors and co-actors. Her work across multiple language industries demonstrates linguistic versatility and adaptability rare for someone her age, and she has built a reputation as one of the most talented child actors in contemporary Indian cinema.
How did Sara Arjun start her acting career?
Sara Arjun’s entry into entertainment began extraordinarily early, as a baby appearing in television commercials. Growing up in Mumbai with a father who works in the film industry provided both opportunity and guidance for navigating the entertainment world. Her expressive face, natural comfort in front of cameras, and ability to convey emotions made her effective in advertising even at a very young age, and she appeared in dozens of commercials for major brands throughout her early childhood. These commercial appearances provided invaluable training—she learned to take direction from various directors, experienced technical aspects of filming including lights, cameras, and multiple takes, and developed comfort and confidence in front of cameras that many adult actors take years to achieve. This commercial work built her portfolio and reputation within the industry, making her known to casting directors, advertisers, and filmmakers as a reliable, photogenic child who could deliver what was needed. Her transition from commercial work to serious acting came with her casting in “Deiva Thirumagal” (2011), a role that required extraordinary emotional range for such a young actress. Her performance in this film transformed her from a commercial child model into a recognized actress, demonstrating that she possessed not just cute appeal but genuine dramatic talent. The success of this breakthrough role led to offers from multiple film industries and established her as a serious young actress rather than just another child performer.
What made Sara Arjun’s performance in “Deiva Thirumagal” so special?
Sara Arjun’s performance as Nila in “Deiva Thirumagal” (2011) was remarkable for several reasons that distinguished it from typical child acting. The role required extraordinary emotional range and maturity, she needed to be believable as a six-year-old child while conveying complex emotions including love for her mentally challenged father, confusion about why people questioned their relationship, sadness when separated from him, and courage in advocating for their family. She brought authenticity and emotional depth that elevated the entire film, with her chemistry with co-star Vikram being palpable and believable—they truly seemed like father and daughter with a deep, loving bond. What made her performance particularly impressive was that she was essentially carrying half the emotional weight of the film alongside an established star known for intense performances, yet rather than being overwhelmed or overshadowed, she held her own and delivered a performance that complemented Vikram’s without being diminished by it. Her acting style was natural and unaffected rather than exaggerated or theatrical, bringing authenticity that enhanced the film’s emotional impact. The scenes depicting their relationship, playfulness, and heartbreak when separated moved audiences to tears, demonstrating her ability to convey genuine emotion that resonated with viewers. Critics specifically highlighted her performance, noting that her natural acting elevated the film’s sensitive handling of disability, mental health, and parenting themes. She won the Filmfare Award for Best Child Artist, confirming that audiences and industry professionals recognized they had witnessed something special—one of the most memorable child performances in recent Tamil cinema from an actress who was only six years old.
What challenges does Sara Arjun face as she transitions from child actor to adult roles?
Sara Arjun faces the notoriously difficult transition challenge that has derailed many child actors’ careers—moving from child roles to establishing herself as an adult actress. This transition involves multiple interconnected challenges. Audiences develop strong associations with child actors in particular types of roles, making it psychologically difficult for them to accept these actors in adult roles, particularly romantic or mature dramatic parts. Physical changes during adolescence can be dramatic, potentially disrupting the “brand” and screen persona that child actors have established. The types of roles available change dramatically—cute child parts give way to romantic leads, action roles, or character parts that require different skills, screen presence, and audience connection. Many child actors either don’t successfully make this transition, fading from prominence as they age out of child roles but can’t establish themselves in adult roles, or struggle with personal issues related to early fame’s pressures and the identity crisis that can accompany aging out of child stardom. Sara will need to carefully choose roles that suit her evolving age and abilities while maintaining audience and industry interest, likely requiring some reinvention of her screen persona. She’ll need to demonstrate that her talent extends beyond childhood appeal to encompass the range and depth required for adult performances. She faces the pressure of proving herself again—despite her accomplished child career, she essentially needs to establish herself as a new actress for adult audiences. However, several factors work in her favor: she has demonstrated genuine dramatic talent beyond childhood cuteness, her versatility across multiple film industries provides options and flexibility, and her foundation of education and supportive family management may help her navigate this challenging period more successfully than many child actors have.
What is Sara Arjun’s legacy and significance in Indian cinema?
Sara Arjun’s significance in Indian cinema extends beyond her individual performances to broader impacts on how child actors are perceived and utilized. Her acclaimed performances, particularly in “Deiva Thirumagal,” demonstrated to Indian filmmakers and audiences what child actors can achieve when given substantial, well-written roles and proper direction, showing that children can carry significant dramatic weight and deliver performances of genuine emotional depth and technical accomplishment. This potentially opened more opportunities for other child actors to be taken seriously rather than being confined to cute or comic relief roles. Her work across Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi, and Telugu cinema embodied the increasing interconnectedness of Indian cinema, where language barriers are becoming less absolute and talent can find opportunities across traditional industry boundaries, demonstrating that quality performances transcend linguistic and cultural barriers. Her reputation for professionalism set standards for how child actors can and should conduct themselves, potentially raising expectations industry-wide and showing that young performers can be reliable, technically competent professionals. Films like “Deiva Thirumagal” that centered emotional relationships involving children demonstrated the commercial and critical viability of such stories, potentially encouraging more films exploring these themes rather than relegating children to peripheral roles. For young people with acting aspirations, her journey offers both inspiration and important lessons about the importance of talent development, education balance, family support, and careful career management. Her career also illustrates the complexities of child stardom, the achievements possible but also the challenges and pressures involved. As her career continues evolving and she navigates the crucial transition to adult roles, her ultimate legacy will depend on whether she successfully sustains her career long-term, but she has already made her mark as one of the most talented child actors in contemporary Indian cinema.
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