The first period film on Chauri Chaura on its centenary year celebration
Gorakhpur (Uttar Pradesh), India: Filmmaker Abhik Bhanu whose last release was Jimmy Sheirgill – Tara Alisha Berry starrer “Gun Pe Done” launched his upcoming Hindi feature film; a real period-historical drama, “1922 Pratikar Chauri Chaura”, the first period film (on Chauri Chaura) being made for the silver screen. Being written and directed by Abhik Bhanu himself, the film is produced bySarayu Vision and co-produced by Anju Khare. The first look of the film was unveiled recently in Gorakhpur.
It may be recalled our Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated a series of events earlier in February 4, 2021 which is being held throughout the year to mark the centenary year of Chauri Chaura incident, which took place on February 4, 1922. During that time then he had proudly quoted: “What happened in Chauri Chaura 100-years ago was seen as a simple incident of arsoning of a police station and thus not given due place in the pages of history. 1922 Pratikar Chauri Chaura…. Ek Kaand Nahi….Sangram Hai…”
Chauri Chaura is a town near Gorakhpur and Deoria in Uttar Pradesh (U.P). In the year 1922, in British-India and during the non-cooperation movement (a part of the Indian freedom struggle) led byMahatma Gandhi, the protesters set fire to a police station and killed at least 22 policemen in protest of the police firing on large group of demonstrators. 19 arrested freedom fighters were sentenced to death and 14 to imprisonment for life by the British colonial authorities.
Incidentally, filmmaker Abhik Bhanu had made his debut feature film “Sab Kuch Hai Kuch Bhi Nahin”on the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi. Speaking on the occasion the director reveals, “1922 Pratikar Chauri Chaura is the first Hindi feature film ever made on Chauri Chaura incident related 100-years-back. The film is in the memory of the martyrs in this incident. Chauri Chaura incident was a struggle of the common people in their fight for Independence. It is surprising and unfortunate that this event in the freedom struggle have been omitted in the history books by the then Britishers and the Indian government too. My salutations to PM Modi and especially the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath who gave it the deserved importance. The state administration had claimed that till now the history of Chauri Chaura had not been celebrated as it should have been.”
Presenter Ravi Shankar Khare says, “The UP government has planned a year of celebrations through February 4, 2022 in all 75 districts of the state in the memory of the martyrs. PM Narendra Modi had released a postage stamp to mark its beginning while 99 people, descendants of those involved in the incident were also honoured. On our part we will be unfolding real untold facts on the screen.”
Abhik Bhanu can do meaningful cinema with the same passion and dedication.
He is known for his clarity of vision and his ability to take real life situation and make them dramatic on the screen. The filmmaker has also tabled award winning books like ‘Honcho’, ‘A Dark Rainbow’, ‘Stool Pigeon’ and ‘Blind Faith’. The author and director reveals, “We will be showing factual events as to what exactly had happened during that time of freedom struggle. It took us more than 8-months and 20 research teams comprising of Professor Himanshu Chaturvedi, Manoj Sharma, Anuradha Suryawanshi, Pavan Pandey, Sachin Awchitte, Nishigandha, Vishwanath, Gaurav Govind, Anju Khare, Yogendra Bhadur Khare, Shushma, Deepa Mukherjee, Ravi Shankar Khare, Mritunjay Kumar Srivastava, Keshav, Teena Gupta, Cheitanyasinh Gohil and Chavvi Gaurang to complete the script of the film. It also involves sources from books of well-known authors.”
“We are also in the process of casting UP based talented actors including newcomers who fit the bill including folk singers too. The shooting will commence from late July at prime locations like Chauri Chaura, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj, Allahabad, Lucknow and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh with a major regular shooting schedule of more than 50-days. The film will have a grand international release and will be screened at thousands of cinema halls only,” adds Bhanu.
Dileep Bhosale is the creative producer while Atul Kumar Pandey is the executive producer and Sumit Kumar is the line producer. Vishal Shrivastava is the production designer. Director of photography is byManoj Gupta and Sanjay Mehta, art direction is by Dipankar Mondale and editing by Arun Shekhar are the major credits of the film.
