Exclusive: 'Jhund' director Nagraj Manjule on how Big B accepted the role

About his experience of working with megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Manjule said he has been speaking about it for several days and he enjoys that people ask him the question. "I don't think any director in this world would want to leave the opportunity of working with Amitabh Bachchan. I got the opportunity that was beyond a dream. It is priceless for me."

Mumbai:"Jhund" starring Amitabh Bachchan to be released on Friday is going to be a crowd-puller since movie buffs especially Big B fans would get to see him on the big screen after a long time.

The movie marks filmmaker Nagraj Manjule's Hindi directorial debut. Bachchan portrays Vijay Barse, a Nagpur-based retired sports teacher who pioneered a slum soccer movement. In the trailer of the film, Bachchan is seen standing next to a large portrait of BR Ambedkar, a rare image in Hindi cinema with court scenes being an exception. The Nagpur-set film also brings back "Sairat" composers Ajay-Atul, who have created a dance number for "Jhund" where the kids from the slum are celebrating Ambedkar Jayanti.

In an exclusive interview with ETV Bharat, Manjule said he was told that the story was based on real-life and Amitabh Bachchan was the perfect match for the lead character. "I researched for the story and got to know about Vijay Barse of Nagpur and his students whom he engaged in slum soccer. I understood the entire story and wrote the screenplay which I then shared with Mr Bachchan. He liked it a lot and that is how we end up making the movie," he said.

Manjule said he was instantly drawn to the core of the film "Jhund": How a man spots potential in kids of the slum, who the society believes are best ignored. "When I met Vijay Barse, I was fascinated by his life and what he was able to achieve. It is a remarkable feat. Then, when I met the kids, I was moved. All of them had their individual stories. Stories of struggle, oppression, poverty, and discrimination... but all of them chose to rise above and break the barrier. Their story had to be told," he said.

About his experience of working with megastar Amitabh Bachchan, Manjule said he has been speaking about it for several days and he enjoys that people ask him the question. "I don't think any director in this world would want to leave the opportunity of working with Amitabh Bachchan. I got the opportunity that was beyond a dream. It is priceless for me."

Likening caste-based discrimination to a "sickness" that's not talked about as often as it should be, filmmaker Nagraj Manjule says his intent as a writer-director is to bring those stories to the fore that have been sidelined. "Not only in Maharashtra, but the whole world, and even in Hindi films, if you belong to a backward section, you are a Dalit, or you are a woman, you are not portrayed as much as you should be. Be it in literature or in movies, every single aspect of life should get its space," he said.

The 44-year-old filmmaker often returns to the stories of caste oppression and its devastating effect on young lives in his cinema. In "Fandry" (2013), Manjule's feature debut in Marathi, he chronicled the life of a Dalit family living on the margins of a village, who are required to do menial jobs, like catching pigs, which the people from upper castes consider 'impure'.

His 2016 Marathi blockbuster "Sairat" followed the story of young lovers of different castes and how their romance meets a chilling fate. Manjule, who grew up in Solapur district of Maharashtra, explored the story of Dalit oppression in his debut short back in 2010, "Pistulya". The National Award-winning film followed the story of a Dalit boy, who faces several challenges for simply wanting to attend school.

(With agency inputs)