Director's Cut: 'I am really fortunate to direct Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in my first Hindi film Jhund,' says Nagraj Popatrao Manjule

Nagraj Popatrao Manjule, who has directed Marathi blockbusters like Fandry and Sairat, is all set to make his entry in Bollywood. He has directed megastar Amitabh Bachchan in his Hindi directorial debut, Jhund. In an exclusive conversation with The Free Press Journal, he speaks about the film, working with the legendary actor and more.

Opening up about collaborating with Bachchan, Nagraj gushes, “I am really fortunate to have got an opportunity to direct Mr. Amitabh Bachchan in my first Hindi film. It is like beyond my imagination. As a kid, I used to watch his films. I remember, when Shahenshah released, it was quite a rage, and I saw it on a videotape for 10 rupees which was one rupee for other movies. I saw the film twice-thrice..”

Elaborating further, he adds, “The journey from watching his films to directing him is unbelievable. I even became a filmmaker incidentally (laughs). My team and I shoot very casually, but since Bachchan sir was around on sets of Jhund while shooting so, we had to be disciplined.”

Talking about how the idea of Jhund came to him, he shares, “The producers got me the idea of Ashok Borade sir and his students in Nagpur. I thought if I am getting to work with Amitabh sir then why should I leave the opportunity? I feel he was the right choice to play the role of a celebrated coach.”

Since Jhund is a life story of an undiscovered sportsman, making a film on him would have been a task considering keeping the authenticity intact. “I believe that no film can be made without creative liberty. In Jhund, you won’t see reality distorted. My film has mostly non-actors and real people. There are two aspects. You can’t show the exact reality also and can’t take too much cinematic liberty also,” he states.

With such noted films in Marathi language under his belt, when probed how different was it for him to direct a Hindi film on the sets, he says, “This is my biggest film in terms of the star and the whole aura around the film, but the process of my filmmaking is the same.”

The film has a runtime of 178 mins, but the filmmaker remains unperturbed. “As a filmmaker, I always tell a story irrespective of the runtime. Even Sairat has a duration of three hours, and people loved it,” he avers.

Talking more about the bunch of kids, who are an integral part of the film, he reveals, “They all have mingled with each other so well that their chemistry is visible on screen in the scenes. I wasn’t under pressure, and the film has turned out very well.”

He also wished to make Jhund in other languages, but he missed out on the opportunity. “I would have made the film while I was shooting, but now it seems difficult,” he signs off.