Ringside view of the red corridor

Bastar: The Naxal Story

Producer Vipul Shah and director Sudipto Sen's The Kerala Story (2023) became a hit at the box office, despite being panned by critics and some sections of the audience. Now, the makers are back with Bastar: The Naxal Story, which sees Adah Sharma play an IPS officer countering the Maoist/Naxal insurgency in Bastar, Chhattisgarh.

Creative director-producer Shah remembers being "shaken to the bone" when Sen brought the story to him, which reportedly focuses on the 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada that killed 76 Central Reserve Police Force [CRPF] jawans. "When you see our CRPF jawans being killed, the Maoists/Naxals resorting to violence to [hinder] any development in the interiors, you wonder, who are these people? There are several intellectuals in the cities giving them cover by saying they are the Robin Hoods of Bastar. How would you react on reading that there was a celebration in the Jawaharlal Nehru University [JNU] after 76 CRPF jawans were killed by the Naxals? One can have differences with a political party or a leader. But when you go against the nation, it's a problem," states Shah.

Sen's knowledge of the Naxal movement goes back to his childhood. He shares, "My siblings were part of this movement, so I saw how it diversified, went south and eventually made Bastar the red sector. I feel the human tragedy remains under-reported due to some media houses and the system supporting this. Vipul ji and I shared the same passion towards this story. It's our responsibility to convey this to a wider population."

Vipul Shah and Sudipto Sen

For Bastar's leading lady, the role of an IPS officer is a drastic shift from her portrayal of a survivor of religious conversion in The Kerala Story. Sen praises Sharma for prepping extensively for her part. "Adah went to Chhattisgarh, met the IPS officers leading the anti-Naxal operations, like the Cobra Force. She accompanied them into the jungles to see how they prepare and combat. In the Bastar trailer, you will notice that hers is not a glamorous part. A lot depends on the character of the person playing the role. Adah is ready to work doubly hard, the result is for everyone to see."