Now biopics of political leaders catch the eyes of filmmakers

Trying to break away from the regular rut of films on screen, filmmakers have been trying to break away from the shackles. While a few are coming out with new stories and ideas, some have settled to make biopics. Now, after biopics on Mahatma Gandhi (Richard Attenborough), Jawaharlal Nehru ( Shyam Benegal), Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel (Ketan Mehta) and Babasaheb Ambedkar (Jabbar Patel), Nikhil Advani has announced that he is all set to make a Marathi film on Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Titled Lokmanya, the full-length Marathi feature film will be directed by debutant director Om Raut. To avoid last minute hassles, the maker has got the script validated from the great grandson of Lokmanya who also heads the Tilak Marathi Vidyapeeth and the Tilak Foundation, Dr Deepak Tilak. Says Advani in a statement, "Lokmanya is a film that aspires to bring to the foreground one of our nation's greatest leaders, whose teachings and ways make for relevant inspiration even today. This is what appealed to me the most when Om brought the project to my production company. In addition, as we celebrate 100 years of cinema in our country, the genesis of this is incomplete without acknowledging the contribution of Marathi artistes and cinema visionaries." Subodh Bhave, who was recently seen in Riteish Deshmukh’s Balak Palak will play Tilak. Another film titled Jai Jawaan Jai Kisaan will capture the life and time of India's second Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri. A 49-year-old theatre actor Akhilesh Jain from Bhopal has been cast to play Shashtri. He was able to lap up the role after director Milan Ajmera spotted him playing the same role in a documentary. While Prem Chopra would be playing the role of Gobind Ballabh Pant in the film, Om Puri will play the role of Dr Rajendra Prasad, the first President of India . Rati Agnihotri will be playing Nehru's sister Vijaylakshmi Pandit while Jatin Khurana will be playing the role of Chandrashekhar Azad. Showing of his joy that a film is being made on his father, Sunil Shastri, son of the leader said, “I appreciate that they are making a film on my father and have titled the film on the slogan he gave. I encouraged them because today the country needs a leader like Lal Bahadur Shastri." He has pledged his full support to the makers of the film and is proud that a young team is making the film. Shastri took over the office of Prime Minister after Jawaharlal Nehru's death in 1964. He gave the slogan to encourage the farmers for a better yield to reduce country's dependence on imported food grains while also to infuse renewed enthusiasm in soldiers fighting the Indo-Pak war of 1965. The film will be shot on real locations of Allahabad, Mumbai and Delhi. The makers said that they are planning to release the film on 2 October (2013) which happens to be Shashtri's birthday.