Journo turned director Chandrakant Shinde making Marathi film on Olympian wrestler Khashaba

Many journalists like Dasari Narayan Rao and K V Anand (cinematographer turned director) have taken to directing films. Chandrakant Shinde, a working journalist who is the principal correspondent of a Marathi newspaper, is the latest entrant in the field of direction. He is gearing up to make a bio-pic on Olympian wrestler Khashaba Dadasaheb Jadhav titled Khashaba. Talking about what interested him to make a film on the wrestler, Chandrakant says, “I thought that making a film on the celebrated wrestler would make for interesting viewing.” And to play the noted wrestler, the debutant director has zeroed in on Siddharth Jadhav to play the lead. Why Siddharth when there are noted Marathi artistes like Bharat Jadhav or Makrand Anaspure? (smiles) “Khashaba wasn’t a body builder like Dara Singh and weighed just 75 kgs. Siddharth suits the role as he is a slightly built man too and has earlier on 2010 played a wrestler in Huppa Huyya. Moreover, his looks are strikingly similar to Khashaba,” Chandrakant replies. The film has also the likes of Nana Patekar and Sonali Kulkarni. “Nana has agreed to play the Principal, who doesn’t think before mortgaging his bungalow to help Khashaba go to the Helsinki Olympics while Sonali plays the wrestler’s wife,” Chandrakant informs. Given the fact that recent biopics in Marathi like Harishchandrachi Factory (2009) and Mee Sindhutai Sapkal (2010) and Gandharva (2011) weren’t successful at the box office as compared to the recent Bhaag Milkha Bhaag that has taken a good opening, where do you see your film stand? “While crores have been pumped into the Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra film, my venture has a budget of only Rs 1.50 crores. I met the Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar in pursuit of help. He said that he would have a word with the Chief Minister and get back. I will wait patiently for help,” the journo turned director observes. Khashaba, being made under Chandrakant’s Revti Chandrakant Shinde Productions, has been tentatively planned to be released on 23 January (2014), the birth anniversary of Khashaba.