Bringing the inspirational life journey of poet, philosopher Pandit Lakhmi Chand, also known as Kalidas of Haryana, to the silver screen involved years of rigorous research work. For director-actor Yashpal Sharma, who also essayed Pandit ji’s character in the film Dada Lakhmi, the execution of the biopic has been the most challenging part.

Pandit Lakhmi Chand, referred to as Dada Lakhmi, is known to have popularised folk theatre of Haryana, Saang. He was also accorded the honour of the Surya Har of Haryanvi music for his work in Raagni. And now when the movie Dada Lakhmi: A Musical Journey of Pandit Lakhmi Chandhas won the Best Haryanvi Film in the 68th National Film Awards for 2020, announced on Friday, the Hisar born actor is elated.

“It took me more than five years to make the film,” says Sharma, who made his directorial debut with this film. He adds, “The groundwork for the film started even earlier. Life of such a great personality could not be summed up in one project. The second part is on anvil.”

Sharma made back-to-back visits to villages across Haryana, sifting through records and documenting information from elderly people across rural belts. “We did tapasya to make this film. Haryanvi films have a great potential. The state is a treasure trove of stories, mostly gone untold.”

Even before the project was conceptualized, Sharma had planned to make the project award worthy. “I wanted to make it an award-winning film. I am happy it came out that way.”

He adds, “It’s important to attract audiences. I feel Haryanvi cinema is on a strong revival path. Now, we need more screens to exhibit our work. Many movies were being made in the past but they could not reach the festival platform due to lack of screens.”

Haryanvi films which picked up awards in the past include, Gulaabo (1986), Chandrawal (1984), Laado (2000), Pagdi: The Honour (2014) and Satrangi (2016). Next, Sharma is exploring stories that need to be narrated. “The state has given many legends. Par unki kahaani ya kaam zyada bahar nahin aaye. I am researching on topics to highlight our rich history to our future generations,” he says.