Vimal Chandra Pandey on Bhojpuri’s first sci-fi film ‘Maddhim’: Wanted to tell a cinematic story in my mother tongue

New Delhi, Nov 30 (PTI) “Bhojpuri and science fiction? Who is going to watch it?” Those were the questions that writer-filmmaker Vimal Chandra Pandey encountered when he decided to adapt Bob Shaw’s famous 1966 short story “Light of Other Days” for his Bhojpuri film “Maddhim”.

Pandey, who made his film debut with 2017’s critically-acclaimed film “The Holy Fish” and is awaiting the release of his second movie “Dhatura”, says it all began with a desire to tell an interesting story in the language that he grew up speaking.

“Bhojpuri is my mother tongue and I always wanted to do something in it. The desire to do something in it kept growing. My model to tell this story was the independent cinema in the south where filmmakers are telling culturally specific stories with limited resources and they are resonating world over. I thought, ‘Why not do something similar in Bhojpuri?’” Pandey told PTI in an interview.

According to the film’s official plotline, “Maddhim” follows inspector Pratyush and constable Chaube who are investigating the death of a famous pulp fiction writer called Raman Rastogi.

“Circle officer and SP are convinced that it is a case of adultery and murder by his wife but inspector Pratyush is continuously looking for appropriate answers. Finally, he comes to know about Raman Rastogi’s past. An unbelievable but mind-blowing scientific invention helps Pratyush catch the killer red handed,” it read.

Pandey, an established Hindi writer with novels such as “Bhale Dino Ki Baat Thi”, “Lahartara” and “Dasasmedh” and story collections “Dar”, “Mastulon  Ke Irdgird” and “Maaran Mantra”, said while he was keen to tell a story in Bhojpuri, the idea to make it in the sci-fi genre came from his co-writer Vaibhav Mani Tripathi.

Tripathi, a sci-fi enthusiast, initially approached Pandey to translate one of his stories for a Bhojpuri storytelling audio app. He was also keen for Pandey, who already has an Audible audio series to his credit, to do something similar for his audio app.

“He also wanted me to write an audio series. But I was more keen to make a movie in the language. He came up with the idea to make it a sci-fi project and we read a lot of literature before settling on Bob Shaw’s story, which was written in the 1960s. We took the concept of slow glass from the story and wove a murder mystery around it,” Pandey added.

The filmmaker thought the production on “Maddhim” would finish early but ended up spending more than two years on the project, encountering many hurdles and prejudices along the way.

Bhojpuri cinema, which was once known for hits such as “Ganga Maiya Tohe Piyari Chadhaibo”, “Nadiya Ke Paar” and “Ganga Kinare Mora Gaon Ho” and attracted the top writers, directors and even actors and musicians, has come to be associated with obscenity even though there are efforts to change the perception from within the industry.

According to Pandey, it is also widely believed that independent filmmakers tend to stick to a format where there has to be a downtrodden hero or heroine at the centre of the story.

“I faced challenges in casting. We thought we will not cast Bhojpuri actors but Hindi artists from the Bhojpuri region. But some of the big artists were like ‘Science fiction and Bhojpuri? Who is going to watch it?’. The assumption is that a Bhojpuri film has to be set in a village and tell a story about their condition. Why can’t it be a murder mystery and science fiction? My story belongs to this genre,” the filmmaker said, adding that he is not averse to heartland stories.

“I have the rights to one of writer Yogendra Ahuja’s stories. I initially wanted to make it in Hindi but while I was finishing ‘Maddhim’, I realised that the story would lend itself beautifully to Bhojpuri. It can be a reference point for Bhojpuri cinema. The story’s title is ‘Kushti’ and it revolves around caste issues. My screenplay is ready. It can be a wonderful movie in Bhojpuri.”

Pandey, who left his job as a journalist in Delhi to pursue filmmaking, believes cinema in languages like Bhojpuri, Magahi and Maithili can flourish with proper support to emerging voices from the region.

“The recent trailer launch of ‘Pushpa 2’ in Patna attracted a massive crowd. If as a producer, director or distributor, you get even 10 per cent of that crowd to come and support regional cinema, the situation can change drastically.

“But what happens is that while people criticise the obscenity in Bhojpuri cinema, they are not ready to extend support to filmmakers trying to change that culture,” he said.

The response to “Maddhim”, which is available on MovieSaints, has been encouraging, said Pandey, who hopes that it paves the way for him to make more films in both Hindi and Bhojpuri.

Looking back at his journey in Mumbai, the filmmaker said his friends kept telling him to start writing first before getting into direction, which would have been easier for him.

“I didn’t assist anyone or write for others and I probably should have. But when I look back at my first film ‘The Holy Fish’, I feel proud of what I have achieved. My struggle in Mumbai has been my film school. I don’t even remember when I started dreaming about becoming a director but that dream has brought me here,” he said, adding he wishes that “Dhatura” finds a proper platform.

Produced by K V Productions and Entertainment, “Maddhim” stars Paritosh Tripathi, Om Dubey, Aruna Giri, Krishna Gopal, Nishant Kumar, Rajesh Tiwari,  M K Pandey and Asima Bhatt.