Nagraj Manjule: Was worried, but had zidd to make the film

Bringing to screen Barse’s story of rehabilitating slum kids, Jhund director on how he saw film to completion despite producers backing out mid-way

The trailer of Amitabh Bachchan’s Jhund may make one assume that it’s a modern-day rendition of Sidney Poitier’s To Sir, with Love (1967). When we get on a call with director Nagraj Manjule, we start our chat on this note. “Jhund is a multifaceted story. The power of education in transforming societies is an aspect of the film. But we haven’t limited Jhund to just that,” he says. For Manjule, the sports drama’s theme can be captured in five words — “the power of a team”.

Nagraj Manjule

Jhund is inspired by the real-life story of Vijay Barse, a social worker from Nagpur who founded Slum Soccer, an organisation that uplifts underprivileged children through football. The film didn’t have an easy journey to the screen — it was started in 2017, but the producers backed out mid-way. In 2018, producer Bhushan Kumar stepped in to back the project. Manjule says the making of the drama was a test of his determination. “I learnt the ability to power through this phase. Sometimes, things fall apart for the better. We had a set in Pune that we had to pull down. But it turned out to be [an advantage] as we eventually shot in Nagpur, where the story is originally set. Sometimes, I would get worried, but I had that zidd to make the film. I wouldn’t get the chance to work with Bachchan sir again. More than that, I had shown a dream to the kids, and I couldn’t take that away from them.” Having shouldered the responsibility of telling Barse’s story to the world, he is eager to know the social worker’s reaction. “I met him and his students in Nagpur when the film first came to me. The reason I made Jhund in Hindi is because his students come from across the country. Cinema is a language in itself, and I knew I had to bring the soul of their stories into my narrative.”

The acclaimed director is still in a state of disbelief about Bachchan headlining his debut Hindi feature film. Remembering his first meeting with the megastar, the Sairat maker says, “I’ve been a huge fan since I was a kid. But as a director, I knew I couldn’t be starry-eyed. I had to remind myself that I am making a movie with him.”

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