Sujay Dahake used to be an amateur wildlife photographer before becoming a filmmaker in 2011 with his acclaimed Marathi feature film,Shala. He always wanted to make a film on the subject of his interest,but couldnt find a suitable character. In 2009,when the story of Ajoba,a leopard,appeared in the news,he found in him his ideal screen hero. I believed I could talk about wildlife at large through the story of Ajoba, says Dahake,who has made a film titled,Ajoba. Ajoba (grandfather in Marathi),named for his gentle and wise appearance,hit the headlines four years back for being the subject of an experiment conducted under wildlife scientist Vidya Athreya. He was the states first leopard to be fitted with a radio transmitter and microchip to track his movements. It would throw insight into the behavioral patterns of the big cat,unexplored till then. The move would eventually benefit the larger issue of man-animal conflict a problem that has plagued Maharashtras rural and suburban areas for long. It sprung up remarkable facts and figures the animal travelled 120 km in 29 days from Malshej Ghat to Mumbais Sanjay Gandhi National Park before the radio transmitter ceased to function. The fact that the animal passed by human inhabited areas without harming anyone affirmed the belief that they dont attack humans unless provoked. The leopard died in 2011 in a road accident. The film addresses the larger issue of human-animal coexistence and the territorial lines that divide them but also poses the big question who draws these lines anyway? To an extent,I wanted to show that no matter what,we cant claim anything to be our land, he says. The film will see Urmila Matondkar playing the role of Athreya the lady at the helm of the project and someone who has been working to understand an animal demonised in mainstream media. Dahake cast Matondkar,who became a natural choice for the role after he failed to find a suitable actress from Marathi films who would match Athreyas age of early 40s. Though Matondkar,a Maharashtrian,hasnt acted in any Marathi film,she agreed to do the film within two days of being approached. Her star value helped the film find producers in Supreme Motion Pictures,a Pune-based production house. The film,co-produced by Dahake,is expected to release in October in Maharashtra,Gujarat and Karnataka. The film also stars Yashpal Sharma. Dahake,who had initially planned to make a documentary film on the subject,decided to make it into a fiction film when he realised its potential for the same. It could link larger ideas,primarily shown through the journey of Ajoba and Athreya,to make a statement on wildlife conservation. Besides,the anecdotal stories attached to Ajobas journey provide excellent fodder for drama on screen. The real stories are more exciting than fiction, says the 28-year-old filmmaker. Directing a film on a subject that is close to his heart,he says,relieved him of the pressures to match up to his debut film Shala that had won the Silver Lotus Award for Best Marathi Feature Film at the National Film Awards . Before starting to shoot the film,Dahake spent time with Athreya in Maharashtras Junnar region to have a better understanding of the life and work of forest officials. The films involvement with the Maharashtra government and Athreya enabled Dahake and his team to shoot in the forest areas of Junnar and Rajasthan where they managed to film real leopards for the movie. sankhayan.ghosh@expressindia.com
