Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd
Tags:
March 2020 is a time that not many would forget. India was hit by the Covid-19 outbreak and the ensuing lockdown changed many lives irreversibly. Madhur Bhandarkar’s next film India Lockdown revisits the traumatic time as it will focus on four characters from different strata of society dealing with India coming to a halt after the government announced the 21-day lockdown.
Prateik Babbar will essay the role of a migrant worker, who lives in the city of dreams with his family. While his daily wage abruptly stops with everything shut down, his wife (Sai Tamhankar) too loses her job, after housing societies ban maids. In the trailer of the film, we see Prateik’s character disturbed as the debts continue to rise, while his family sleeps hungry. The heartbreaking visuals of hundreds of migrant workers walking back to their villages with their tired children continue to haunt many.
Prateik spoke to indianexpress.com about getting into the skin of the role and feeling their pain. Sharing that it was a beautiful process, the actor said that through this film he’s also paying tribute to his mother, late actor Smita Patil.
“I did meet some migrant workers and spent time observing their body language. I spoke to them about their hardship. Sir (Madhur Bhandarkar) also gave me some reference films to watch. I also watched some of my mother’s films as she portrayed such characters during her time. I watched Akrosh, which had little of her but for Om Saab and his angst. I also watched Balraj Sahni ji’s Do Bheega Zameen and then of course Ankur and Chakra,” he shared.
Prateik Babbar also revealed that India Lockdown was quite an emotional journey for him, on a personal level. The actor said, “Through sir and this film, I am paying tribute to my mother in my own little way. It’s a tribute to her, and the body of work she has done.”
He added, “Once sir mentioned that ‘Tere maa ne aise kirdaar nibhaye hai. Yeh waisa hi hai (Your mother has played similar characters), I was all in, 100 percent. It was my opportunity to pay tribute. I just asked him batao kab shuru karna hai (tell me, when are we starting?). I really wanted to leave no stone unturned, for sir, for myself, because it was so close to my heart.”
Also starring Shweta Basu Prasad, Ahana Kumra and Prakash Belawadi, India Lockdown will drop on ZEE5 on December 2.
Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.
