Ketan Mehta, director of ‘Manjhi-the Mountain Man’, speaks to Down To Earth about why he made the film
Why did you zero in on making a biopic about Dashrath Majhi?
I could not have found a better story to make a film about. It is all about the idea of making the impossible possible. It is about a man who so loved his wife that he broke a mountain and made a road through it for his love of her. It is an inspiring story of ordinary people who do extraordinary things
'Manjhi' is being promoted as essentially a love story. Was it the love for his wife that made you interested in him or the fact that Manjhi was making a road in a village otherwise inaccessible?
Both are important angles to the story and it is the combination of the two that really make the story what it is.
Is there a trend of contemporary development issues gaining favour among creative people, from filmmakers to novelists? If yes, then why?
How can I speak for the others? But yes, it is necessary for any art form to look into the contemporary scene for issues to highlight and tell stories about.
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