A commercial film titled Bahenji - The Great Sister by first-time Mumbai director Kailash Masoom promises to chart out the political universe and life of Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati.
For Masoom, the film is about capturing the ‘Mayawati phenomenon’ and her brand of subaltern politics (read Bahujan Samaj) in all its nuances. This is the first time that a full-fledged commercial film on Mayawati has been planned.
With a budget of Rs3-crore, shooting for the film is slated to begin by October 20. The film is expected to be shot at Delhi, Agra, Noida and Lucknow among other places including Badalpur — the village where Mayawati grew — and Bijnaur — where she contested her first election.
The film is likely to showcase how Mayawati fought for the recognition of political rights of Dalits. “She gave a new dimension to Dalit politics in the country. The film tries to capture the essence of her struggle,” Kailash Masoom told DNA.
Blaming caste divisions in Indian society for the creation of the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party, the film’s storyline will portray Mayawato championing the cause of the downtrodden.
Pratima Kannan, of Dushman, Bunty aur Bubli and Gaddar fame, has agreed to play the character of Mayawati in the film that has been penned by Mukesh Masoom — Mayawati’s real-life information officer.
“The film will encapsulate Mayawati’s political aspirations, their near-accomplishments and the overall evolution of the character and personality traits of a master politician,” the director said. Massom said that shoot locations had been carefully chosen to offer the audience a boarder perspective on the personal and chequered political journey and career of Mayawati.
The film’s highlights include a detailed portrayal of the childhood days of the BSP supremo, her rise to becoming one of
the top politicians in the country, her relations with her political party’s founding father, Kanshi Ram, and the
overall evolution of the BSP as a mainstream political party.
“The film lays bare hitherto unknown facts and nuggets of information about Mayawati’s childhood,” said Govind Agarwal,
the film’s co-producer.
Music for the film has been composed by Ravindra Jain and G Agarwal. Mayawati herself is likely to be present at some of the shoot locations.
