Mani Shankar to shoot L K Advani

Filmmaker Mani Shankar’s plans of a feature film on L K Advani have been pending mainly because of the director’s inability to find the correct actor for the part. So for now Mani has opted for the next best alternative. He is all set to make a documentary on the BJP leader who in many ways defines the fast-evaporating breed of self-disciplined politicians. The documentary will be based on the footage that Mani will shoot for a week with Advani beginning on 7 November which is the eve of Advani’s 85th birthday. Mani says he will “blend into the fabric of the Advani household to see how the patriarch lives, eats, interacts with family friends admirers and colleagues.” All this, with only a skeletal crew. Says Mani, “If I have crew members sauntering all over the house the spontaneity of the endeavour would be lost. I don’t want the rhythm of Advaniji’s household to be broken. I just want to blend into the fabric of his family life, to look at him not as a filmmaker but as one individual trying to understand the amazing lifestyle of another.” Mani has already sought and got the permission of Advaniji’s family to be a house guest. “I will be like a member of the household. I will try to capture Advaniji as candidly as possible. The camera should disappear from between the audience and Advaniji,” says Mani Shankar whose last feature film Knock Out about politicians stashing the nation’s money in Swiss banks, made a lasting impression on Advaniji.