Though 'Gabru' is a Bhojpuri film, the concept is international: Mahesh Pandey

MUMBAI: Producer Mahesh Pandey is all set to release his new Bhojpuri directorial film "Gabru" on Holi next year, and he said the movie might be in the Bhojpuri language, but the storyline is apt for the whole world. While talking about the film he mentioned the tagline and said that it is based on the true stories that are happening around us. 

"This story is about the tiger Gabru, who enters a village because his home has been destroyed. Even in the caption, we have mentioned that this movie is based on a true story, something that is happening all around us. Concept-wise it is an international film because it is happening everywhere. Though 'Gabru' is a Bhojpuri film, the concept is international," he said.

He added, "We, humans, are cutting trees and destroying jungles, and homes of animals, so 'Gabru' tries to show that if you will enter their homes, even they will try to enter yours. It's basically like a man vs. wildlife conflict, where humans are trying to build more space for themselves, while animals are just trying to protect their homes."   Produced by Madhu and Mahesh Pandey, "Gabru" features Dinesh Lal Yadav aka Nirahua in the lead role. Talking about the superstar, he said, "Dinesh is someone who understands the character very deeply and I feel, by far, he is the best I have worked with in the Bhojpuri cinema. The advantage of getting him on-board was that he also comes from a rural background, he adjusted to the character well, and gave his inputs too. The best part about working with him is that he is completely a director's actor, so the first day when we met he said that he will follow my vision. So, we had that understanding between us." 

"He is a superstar, but he doesn't have any such tantrums, also he is a great actor. Also, when I told him that I will make him wear dhoti and kurta for the film, he was quite excited about it. I know dhoti was a little extreme, especially in today's time, but the movie had a rural backdrop, and I also wanted to promote dhoti in some way, and he had no issues with it. Since a superstar is wearing a dhoti in the film, so I am hoping that it will start trending again, and people will wear it," Mahesh added.  The ace filmmaker has made movies in the industry for over 15 years and agrees that Bhojpuri cinema is looked down on because people only make movies for a particular audience and don't think beyond them.

"I agree that the Bhojpuri film industry is looked down upon because you can't make a film just based on distasteful songs and stories. People, who just want to make money, are making anything and everything in the name of films, it is just a business for them. But I am confident that it will change soon. I can speak for myself and my film 'Gabru', once the teaser was released I got a very good response for it, some people even told me that it's not looking like a typical Bhojpuri film, I think that's a start for the industry as a whole," he said.

"Also, we have an audience of 25 crore people, which no other language has, so if we make good Bhojpuri films then even families will come to the theatre to watch it. I feel that if you are making a film, it shouldn't just be made for a specific target group. Through 'Gabru' I want even families to come to theatres to watch it. The whole team is excited about it, and we are going to target multiplexes as well. If you see in Maharashtra, Marathi films do get a place in multiplexes, similarly, if we make a good film in Bhojpuri I think even we should be given a chance in the multiplexes," he added. 

He is confident that with "Gabru" the industry has entered a transitional phase, and the audience will get to see good content in the coming years.  "I guess slowly the Bhojpuri industry has moved to content-based films. I have been making films in this industry for 15 years now, and even I have made some masala films, but now I feel that people are trying to make good films. I also felt that if I am making a Hindi movie in Bhojpuri then there is no point, and that's why I made 'Gabru' because it is for everyone. I think the Bhojpuri film industry has become better content-wise in the past year or so, we still have a long way to go, but that will change in the next five years," Mahesh concluded.