Reality Check

In the film, Avghade’s character, Jabya, falls in love with his classmate who belongs to a higher caste. Though aware of this stark reality, Jabya secretly sources cash for an expensive gift that he is planning to buy for the girl. In the meantime, Jabya’s parents are pooling in all their meagre earnings for their elder daughter’s wedding. Already ridiculed and teased by the villagers for being from the lower caste community, things start becoming difficult for Jabya’s family when news of his intentions spread through the village. Even in real life, Avghade has faced discrimination all his life from higher-caste villagers. “But we have never let that affect our happiness. Now that I have won the National Award, I’m treated like a hero. I get to hear praise from strangers on a daily basis and there is a new respect for my family now,” says Avghade, who idolises Salman Khan and was even invited for dinner to Aamir Khan’s place after Fandry’s theatrical release in February. “That was a special moment. I have seen Lagaan, Tere Naam and  Andaz Apna Apna many times,” he says.

But Avghade never wanted to be an actor. He desperately tried, for many months, to evade Manjule’s attempts at convincing him to act. At times, he would hide inside the village water tank or run into the fields when Manjule came looking for him. “I was looking for a teenager and Avghade’s voice and mannerisms suited the role. I just had to convince him to act in my film since he had never faced a movie camera and was very shy,” recalls Manjule, who previously won a National Award for his short film titled Pistulya in 2010. After having a special screening of Pistulya (which also had a child actor in the lead), Manjule lured Avghade with the thought of a President’s award, if he acted well. After subsequent rounds of rehearsals and training workshops for a month, in Pune, Avghade accepted Manjule’s offer. “I saw children my age from the city performing effortlessly in front of the camera. I thought if they can do it then it should not be so difficult for me either. And after a while it didn’t feel like I was acting. I was just behaving like I did in real life,” says Avghade, who will now be moving to Pune to complete his schooling.

Though life has not changed significantly for Avghade after the award, he is grateful for all the respect and recognition he has received through this film. “In future, I would like to become an actor and earn enough money to buy a huge house for my parents in Mumbai,” he adds.

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