Mumbai, Oct 21 (PTI) Debutante director Anurag Ranjan Bhusari says his upcoming biopic “Gadkari” aims to showcase the inspirational life story of the Union minister, but avoids giving its hero the “superman treatment.” The Marathi language film features 41-year-old businessman Rahul Chopda in the role of Nitin Gadkari, BJP stalwart and the Union Minister for Roads, Transport and Highways.
“I am from Nagpur and so is Gadkari saheb. We all have seen him since our childhood. We have seen him roam on a scooter even after becoming an MLA. The whole of India knows him as the highwayman now,” Bhusari told PTI in an interview.
“I had this thought in my head to do a story on the journey of this man because it is a proud thing for us (those) who are from Nagpur. I was inspired by his journey so I decided to make a film,” said Bhusari, who has previously written a book, “Our Lives in Pandemic”.
The writer-director said the film not only portrays Gadkari’s rise to prominence in national politics, but also the numerous ups and downs in his life.
“There is no superman treatment given to the character. Everyone has ups and downs in life. I have covered everything which was part of his life. For the film, you have to do some dramatisation,” he said.
Unlike some other biopics, the story of “Gadkari” doesn’t revolve around a single character, Bhusari said.
“I’ve focused on all other characters, it is not that the film only revolves around Nitin Gadkari, it shows everyone’s contribution,” he said.
Bhusari met the minister only once, on his birthday in May 2019, when he expressed the desire to make the biopic.
“He was like, ‘Okay, fine, you don’t need to do this’. We told him, ‘We want to show your journey because it is very inspiring.’ He said, ‘Okay fine. Do it, but make sure the facts are right’. I hope after he watches the film on October 27, he enjoys it,” the director said.
Bhusari had been working on the film since 2017 and spent about three years on pre-production, which included research on the BJP leader and scouting for the lead actor, among other things.
The COVID-19 pandemic delayed the schedule a bit, he said.
Rahul Chopda, who is making his acting debut with “Gadkari”, said he was pleasantly surprised when the offer came.
“Through a common friend of Anurag and me, I got a message that a biopic is being made on Nitin Gadkari saheb, and whether I would like to do it. I was surprised thinking this (acting) is not my background,” he said.
As part of preparation for the role, Chopda said he met a few of Gadkari’s friends and watched the politician’s videos.
“We started gathering information about sir (Gadkari) through videos and his friends. I am also from Nagpur, and you will find someone who has some connection with sir, so I met many of those people. This helped me understand sir’s characteristics, how he is at home, with his friends, etc. Besides, we had the script and dialogues. In terms of the look, the basic thing was to look a bit like him, and yet not in the exact way,” the actor said.
“I was clear that we don’t need to do a caricature. There is a fine line between being a caricaturist and performing,” said Bhusari.
“My idea was that Rahul should understand the character and his every layer like he (Gadkari) was a different person in the 80s, 90s and now. Each layer was carefully crafted, we did a workshop, and once we were satisfied that Rahul would do it well, we started it (shoot),” the director said.
The challenge, according to Bhusari, 31, was to accurately reflect Gadkari’s diverse body of work, from his days as a student leader to his rise as a national-level political personality.
“Gadkari ji is a well-known personality…He has been known to everyone since 2009 when he became a national leader. But in this film, I have focused on his early days, like the 1980s and 1990s, his journey as a student leader, how his friends were helpful, and the support of his family. It was a challenge to write a good script and show this man’s journey,” the director said.
The film will be released in cinemas on October 27. PTI KKP KRK KRK ARU
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