Dock Drama

Courtroom dramas have been squeezed dry by Bollywood for years now. But a Marathi film is sourcing its inspiration from some landmark cases that have,in the past,dominated headlines and inspired heated debates. Pudhchi Tareekh (Next Date) will portray the emotional tussle between the professional and personal lives of public prosecutors. And at the centre of this drama will be Ujjwal Nikam,the much-in-news Special Public Prosecutor in the 26/11 case,the lone attacker captured alive after the 2008 Mumbai attack. “There have been many films made which have revolved around court cases and lawyers,but most tend to focus on one case at a time. In Pudhchi Tareekh,we have tried to represent the travails of public prosecutors as a community of lawyers,their struggles and their personal dilemmas. Like,what transpires at the lawyers’ households when a death sentence is passed,” reveals Svaddan Angrre,the director of the movie.

This venture is set apart from other lawyer tales by its storyline that weaves together some famous cases to which Nikam’s name is attached. “The film talks about the cases which are often referred to as the ‘pillars’ of Indian court cases – the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case,the Kherlanji Dalit massacre case and the Kasab case,” says Angrre. The film will be shot on location at Pune’s Bharti Vidyapeeth and near Satara road. “About 10 per cent of the shooting will be focused in Mumbai too,” says Angrre. The film,however,stays close to the real happenings without actually naming Nikam or other characters. “We wanted to make a film on the lines of Sarkar and Jhenda,” reveals Angrre. Actor Sachin Khedekar has been roped in to essay the role of Nikam.

An interesting element of this storyline will be the inclusion of situational music in the film. As senior music director Shreerang Aaras admits,it’s going to be a ‘tricky’ task. Aaras is an old hand at producing music for films and serials,and has had a long association with Balaji Telefilms,including its cult sitcom,Hum Paanch. He is in the process of arranging a final sitting with the scriptwriter to pan out the details of the film score. “My experience of handling all sorts of subjects,will help me decide the music for this film. It is important that the score justifies the seriousness of the script,” says Aaras.