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MUMBAI: Mahesh Manjrekar along with the cast of his forthcoming film ?Lalbaug Parel? hit the roads of Maharashtra to meet those mill workers who once were the backbone of Mumbai. The first stop was at Chiplun yesterday, March 25, 2010 where a gathering of more than 200 mill workers and their families witnessed the unveiling of ?Lalbaug Parel?; the maiden Marathi film by DAR Motion Pictures.
It was indeed an overwhelming moment for all those present as the film is a reminder of their grave past and history of thousands of mill workers who suffered the turmoil of the 1982 mill strike. The promo not only touched their hearts but left them with teary eyes. Many mill workers who were compelled to leave Mumbai and migrate to Konkan to earn a living for their family post the strike were present to show their support to Mahesh Manjrekar and his film. An emotional Mahesh Manjrekar also visited the homes of a few mill workers along with the cast during the trip.
Manjula Krishna Pawar a 73 year old survivor of the mill strike on seeing the promo said, ?My whole life just flashed in front of my eyes as I was watched the promo. I am really touched with Mahesh?s attempt to tell the truth of what really happened in Mumbai over the last 2 decades. It is commendable to see such a gifted person like him helping us to get our story out to the world. He has really shown the truth the way it was, without making any judgments on the actions one had to take to survive. I have personally witnessed many people loosing their lives, families and hopes. I hope with the support of people like Mahesh we will get our justice rapidly?.
The disturbed crowd thanked Mahesh Manjrekar for his attempt to reveal their past - the history of Mumbai and also appealed to him to help them get justice. An emotional Mahesh replied, ?Since childhood, I have closely observed the entire mill universe and the lives of ?the common mill worker? within it. As a film maker and a responsible citizen I have taken the first step to unravel their true story and that of Mumbai; especially to the new generation who have only seen the towers, the exorbitant property rates but have not known what they have been built on. With this if I achieve to capture the attention of the appropriate authorities and they take the next step I will provide the required support?.
The film has been shot simultaneously in Hindi and Marathi languages, with the Hindi version titled as ?City of Gold ? Mumbai 1982: Ek Ankahi Kahani?. It is a crisp, stylized and hard hitting film based on the mill strike of 1982, the struggle, trials and tribulations faced by the mill-workers and their families who were affected. The film portrays the story of these long-forgotten masses and explores the apathy of these mill workers narrated through the story of one such family. The film truly depicts the politico-socio environment existing during the early eighties and realistically explores the birth of the true underbelly of organized crime in Mumbai.
Starring Satish Kaushik, Seema Biswas, Siddharth Jadhav, Ankush Chaudhary, Sachin Khedekar, Vinay Apte, Karan Patel, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Vineet Kumar Singh, Shashank Shende, Veena Jhamkar, Kashmera Shah, and Anusha Dandekar, the film is a portrayal of those long-forgotten masses that once were the backbone of Mumbai. The film explores the misery of these mill workers narrated through the story of one such family, the politico-socio environment existing during the early eighties but also realistically depicts the birth of the true underbelly of organized crime in Mumbai. The screenplay and script is by noted playwright and journalist Jayant Pawar; Director of Photography by Ajit Reddy, Music Directed by Ajit Parab and Sameer Mhatre.
