Showing posts with label Asaram Bapu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asaram Bapu. Show all posts
If the children aren’t safe, our future is not safe-Manoj Bajpayee
8:27 AM
Manoj says he fronted Bandaa, based on the 2013 rape case of a minor by self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, to highlight issue of children’s protection
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; May 15, 2023)
Every time Manoj Bajpayee invests in a film that has a social message, he has a singular concern — that a badly made film can render the message pointless. With Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, the actor had no reason to worry as the script surpassed his expectations. When producer Vinod Bhanushali and creative producer Suparn Varma offered him the social drama, based on the 2013 rape case of a 16-year-old by self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, they gave him the liberty to choose a suitable director and writer.
“I happened to see Aspirants by Apoorv Singh Karki and loved it. I mentioned his name in the meeting. Apoorv happily came on board. The way writer Deepak Kingrani and he have written the climax overwhelmed me. It became the most attractive part of the film,” says the actor.
But there was a bigger and more powerful reason for Bajpayee to lead the ZEE5 offering, which sees him step into the shoes of Jodhpur-based lawyer Poonam Chand Solanki, who fought against some of the country’s most powerful attorneys and had Asaram convicted. Being a parent, the actor felt deeply about children’s safety.
“All of us were driven by our concern for the protection of children and minors. We are a heavily populated country, but our children are not as secure. Their safety is a concern shared by me, Apoorv and every parent. If the children aren’t safe, our future is not safe. If a child’s privacy and dignity are invaded, it means so many other children’s dignity is crushed too,” he emphasises.
Even as Bandaa chronicles the events that led to Asaram’s conviction in 2018, Bajpayee is aware that people’s faith in the country has oddly become intertwined with worshipping godmen. In such a scenario, is it risky to tell a story that shows the evil in men, who are fiercely protected by people’s blind faith?
The actor weighs in, “I am a believer. My day starts with a prayer. But at the same time, I have a few concerns as a believer. It’s the believer’s responsibility to keep the bad element out [of his faith]. By [making the film], we are also protecting the belief.”
Bandaa shows how Poonam Chand Solanki used the system against power-Suparn Varma
8:31 AM
In the film, Manoj Bajpayee plays lawyer Poonam Chand Solanki (left)
As Manoj brings to screen Jodhpur lawyer’s fight to convict self-styled godman Asaram Bapu, Bandaa’s creative producer says movie took six months to research and went through 18 drafts
Hiren Kotwani (MID-DAY; May 9, 2023)
Manoj Bajpayee’s 29-year career is built of diverse roles, but oddly, he never played a lawyer. Now that he has donned the black robe for Bandaa, he is bringing to screen a case that had caught the country’s attention. In the upcoming film, the actor portrays Poonam Chand Solanki, the Jodhpur-based lawyer who led the prosecution against self-styled godman Asaram Bapu for raping a 16-year-old girl from Uttar Pradesh, in his ashram in August 2013.
Creative producer Suparn Varma says that the survivor’s courage prodded him to tell the story. “Her courage inspired a lawyer to stand against the country’s biggest lawyers,” he begins.
At the same time, the film gave the producer an opportunity to analyze the role of faith and godmen in India. “In India, we are lucky to have a system where we have gurus and gyanis. But when some play around with faith, it hurts.”
The ZEE5 film spans five years, from the filing of the chargesheet in 2013 to Asaram’s conviction in 2018. Varma and his team conducted a six-month research on the subject before approaching Bajpayee to lead the Vinod Bhanushali production, and Apoorv Singh Karki to helm it.
“Manoj usually takes a couple of days to a week to say yes. But he immediately agreed to do the film. It’s a powerful story that needs to be told. Also, Manoj is a father to a daughter.”
In 2022, before the film rolled, the team met the real-life hero who fought against the godman, even as he got multiple threats, and several witnesses were attacked. “Solanki is a quiet man, when it comes to his convictions. After meeting him, we started working on the script, and wrote about 18 drafts.” He adds that Solanki’s journey was unique because he didn’t fight the system.
“The film shows how he used the system against power. The judiciary, the government, and the police worked in sync to deliver justice. He made the system work.”
Suparn Varma; (right) Asaram Bapu
Salman Khan skips meals in jail, but not his workout
8:12 AM
Ashish Mehta (THE TIMES OF INDIA; April 7, 2018)
Jaipur: Qaidi number 106 at Jodhpur central jail skipped his dinner on Thursday and refused to eat porridge and gram which was served to inmates on Friday morning. But Salman Khan did not miss out on his daily workout which he is passionate about.
A jail officer said the Bollywood actor worked out for at least three hours on Friday evening inside ward number 2 – doing crunches, push-ups, skipping, jumping and other exercises.
Salman was restless late Thursday evening when a senior jail officer visited him and asked if he required a doctor. Salman politely refused and lay down on a mat on the floor. “He went off to sleep around midnight and got up for a few minutes at 6.30am when the jail siren sounded. He went back to sleep and got up at 8.30am,” said jail superintendent Vikram Singh.
The actor refused breakfast and asked the staff whether he was allowed to purchase something from the jail canteen. “He asked for a glass of milk and bread, which was given to him,” Singh said.
He added that Salman was restless around 9.45am and was seen walking in his ward. “At 11.30am he was informed that the court will decide on his bail application on Saturday. He then skipped lunch,” Singh added. But despite missing three successive meals, Salman surprised the jail staff when soon after meeting actor Preity Zinta and his sisters Alvira and Arpita in the afternoon, he started his workout in the scorching heat. Singh said he started the exercises at 3.30pm and continued till 6.30pm.
The jail staff served dinner at 7.30pm inside the ward: kakdi, tamatar ki sabzi, dal and chapati. “He has been given extra security. So, unlike other prisoners, he is not supposed to come out and take his dinner. He was served dinner inside his ward,” said an officer.
In the evening, Salman told the authorities he wanted to take a bath, which was organised inside the ward itself. “He is a tough man. He has been drinking water that is provided for every prisoner,” said an officer. While Salman met his sisters, he could not speak to his parents. “Every prisoner is allowed to speak to relatives on the phone on one of the two numbers provided by him. On his arrival, Salman had given the numbers of his father and his mother Sushila. But there was no reply on both the numbers. He will try the numbers again on Saturday,” said Singh.
Refuting reports that Salman spoke to fellow inmate Asaram Bapu, Singh said, “Both of them are high-profile prisoners. Salman was confined to his ward.”
Dialogue referring to jailed godman Asaram Bapu deleted from Welcome Back
7:57 AM
Shaheen Parkar (MID-DAY; September 8, 2015)
Look like self-styled godman Asaram, who has been lodged in a Jodhpur jail since August 2013, in connection with a sexual assault case, still has his followers keep tabs on any unpleasant references made to him. And the bhakts ensured that a joke made at the expense of the controversial godman was removed from the recent release, Welcome Back.
The deleted dialogue had been mouthed by actor Aslam Khan, who plays John Abraham’s buddy in the film. The scene has the duo entering a theatre and as it is pitch dark, Aslam tells John, “ Andhera bahut hai, Bhai goggle utaar de warna izzat ka Asaram ho jayega.”
Apparently, as soon as the dialogue was shown in the promos, the makers were flooded with calls to delete the reference from the comedy flick.
Says a source, “Asaram’s followers took offence to that dialogue and made calls to the production house and the distributors of the film to get it removed.”
Director Anees Bazmee confirms the story saying, “It was done away with before the release of the film. I have heard that there were some calls from his followers who raised objections.”
Raaj Shaandilyaa, who penned the dialogues of Welcome Back, however, maintains, that the line went missing from the film as it had been written only for the promos.
Aslam, on the other hand, contradicts Shandilya. “It was very much in the film and I even dubbed for it. The entire line strangely went missing. I was told that objections relating to it had been raised. The makers could have replaced his name, but preferred to play it safe and remove the entire dialogue,” he adds.
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