Pickpockets inspire a film
Ankush Bhatt may not be a well-known name in Bollywood yet but not for too long. The young director is poised to make a Bollywood entry with his hard-hitting film Bhindi Bazaar, named after a well-known area South Mumbai.
When asked why he chose such a location, Ankush had an interesting tale to share. “Bhindi Bazaar thrives on pickpockets. The grandeur of the location is what actually attracted me,” says Ankush. Revealing further he says, “There are around 250 ways of cutting pockets out of which we have managed to show a 100 in the film. It’s actually a very fine piece of art, which the boys of the area have mastered.” The director did extensive research before actually starting the shoot. “In fact two boys, who have served a sentence in prison for pickpocketing, helped me with my research. They are now undergoing rehabilitation,” he reveals.
The film has an interesting background of chess. “We have used the game of chess as the main protagonist— how chess players manipulate their game for their own mean ends,” says Ankush. Apparently, there are no guns in the movie, but all killings are related to chess. However, the film is not all dark. “We also have a romantic track, sung by the heroine. It’s going to be a joyful watch. I’ve also cast Deepti Naval in a negative role,” he adds.
Incidentally, Ankush’s debut venture earlier was a Marathi film Mann Pakharu Pakharu which received a lot of critical acclaim. “I began my career with serials like Jeevan Mrityu, Aflatoon, Chacha Choudhary, Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Bahu Thi. I directed Tota Maina, Kadvi Khatti Meeti for Sachin Pilgaonkar. And now I am looking forward to Bhindi Bazaar now,” he says.
Ask him what is the USP of his film and pat comes the reply, “It’s a youth-centric film completely.”
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