Mumbai: Mulayam Singh Yadav who founded the Samajwadi Party in 1992 which turned into a giant regional political party, was an astute politician. He was raised in a poor farming family near Etawah, in what is now west-central Uttar Pradesh. He initially wanted to become a wrestler, but eventually, he completed a master's degree in political science from Agra University. The politician got involved in politics at the age of 15 when he encountered the writing of the Indian socialist Ram Manohar Lohia.
Mulayam is best defined as one of the Regional lords who initiated the emergence of social justice as a rubric to talk about caste equity, the political representation of castes, communities and issues of communitarian self-respect and identity.
Bengali director Suvendu Raj Ghosh has come up with a biopic titled Main Mulayam Singh. The film is bankrolled by MS Films and Productions.
- ETV: Is the film solely a biopic or an entirety?
Suvendu: This is a biopic based on political genre. The flick will high point the life of a village boy whose diligence made him stand out of all. More appropriately, it shows the hardship of a village boy; his education, his living condition and social scenario. The journey from being obscure to becoming the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh is truly remarkable.
- ETV: Does the flick brace any political party?
Suvendu: Absolutely not. I believe in creativity. I don't believe in politics and neither do I have any personal liking for one. I made this film to paint the beautiful story of an inspiring leader Mulayam Singh Yadav. When I made the film titled Shunyota, based on demonetization, people warned me several times, stating that I was going against the government. But, after watching the flick, they realized that it's just a story without any erroneous motive.
- ETV: Why did you favour a newbie Amyth Sethi over any famous artist?
Suvendu: Amit has worked in a film earlier. He essayed a small role of an antagonist. Besides, he is an avid theatre artist and has a combative attitude. My film features many popular stars. But for the lead, I wanted an individual who is unknown to many. Otherwise, the heroic tale of Mulayam Singh Yadav would have been jacketed by the name of a popular star, essaying his role.
- ETV: It seems to be a risky take. Isn't it?
Suvendu: I have taken a big risk, for sure. People want to see popular heroes on the big screens. But I proceeded just to preserve the originality.
- ETV: Which were the shooting locations in India?
Suvendu: Shooting took place at variant places of the country including Pune, Mumbai, Sangli, Satara, Chandigarh, Amritsar and Kolkata.
- ETV: What do you expect from this political biopic?
Suvendu: I feel people like to watch a film that is based on a real event or character. People want to watch flicks that inspires them.
- ETV: The much-awaited trailer of the flick got released on July 15. How did people react to it?
Suvendu: The trailer received a great response. It garnered 333,000 views in just 9 minutes. Within 2 hours, we got 5 lakh views. It's trending. Many popular artists are penning their opinion on it.
- ETV: When will the film hit the big screen?
Suvendu: I want to release it in October. If all goes well, the film will be released on theatres. Otherwise, it will take its expected path and will get an OTT release.
The film features many popular celebs including Mimoh Chakraborty, Govind Namdev, Mukesh Tiwari, Supriya Karnik, Sayaji Shinde, Sana Amin Sheikh, Prernaa, Zarina Wahab and Prakash Belawadi are to play prominent roles in the film.
