Debutant director says the story of Marathi movie 'Fandry' was building in his mind while he grew up
The suspense starts with its name -- ‘Fandry’, Nagraj Manjule’s directorial debut. And while he elaborates on how it all began, you realise the film is just a manifestation of his strife to express what he has seen as a child. Fandry, a moving yet entertaining tale of the stark reality of rural India, has given Nagraj his identity.
“I loved watching films, but never thought I would make one. I fell into it unexpectedly. In my schooldays, I would just gather friends and stage ‘Ramlila’ in my village, just for fun. I dreamt of becoming an actor though,” says Nagraj.
A s hort film ‘Pistulya’, which he made as part of his Mass Communication course project, went on to win 20 awards across the nation. And he stumbled upon the idea of filmmaking.
“I didn’t have to think of the story before making the movie, it was already there. The story was building up in my mind while I grew up watching those cruel customs of isolating humans from humans in the name of caste,” he says.
Nagraj obliviously created a piece which critics likened to none less than Shakespeare and Satyajit Ray.
The story of how he got his star cast is amusing. After auditioning several actors without any success, he found Somnath Avghade in a neighbouring village for his character Jabya. But he had a tough time persuading Somnath as he was scared of acting in front of so many people. “On the other hand, Rajeshwari Kharat, who played the lead actress, jumped with joy at the opportunity. May be because she lives in Pune and is more aware,” Nagraj rues.
The film’s producers, Nilesh Navalakha of Navalakha Arts and Vivek Kajaria of Holy Basil Productions, are all smiles as ‘Fandry’ is the most-awaited Marathi film of the year. It will be released next month.
The awards
Fandry bagged the MAMI Jury Grand Prize at the Mumbai International Film Festival and the FIPRESCI India-Film Critics Award at the 6th Bengaluru International Film Festival. It was selected for screening at festivals, including BFI London Film Festival. The film is now to be screened at the PIFF on January 11.
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