The struggles of Manjhi - The Mountain Man to unfold in Dubai television - video Dailymotion

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The struggles of Manjhi - The Mountain Man to unfold in Dubai television. Director Ketan Mehta and actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui talk about the struggles of filming and releasing Manjhi – The Mountain Man. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv

Transcript

00:00In 2007, I heard a red newspaper reports about a man who had broken a mount for love over

00:1722 years of his life with just a hammer and wrenches.

00:20I thought it was an incredible story but first reaction was disbelief.

00:24How can anybody do that or even think of doing it?

00:26When I went to the place to check out and when I saw the mountain and the road that

00:31was carved out of it by one single man, it was sheer amazement and awe.

00:35I realised that this is a story that had to be told.

00:37It is one of the most amazing stories that I have come across in my life.

00:41On one hand, it's a story of intense love and passion.

00:45On the other hand, it's a story of an amazing, incredible triumph of the human will against

00:52all odds, making the impossible possible.

00:57It was a very difficult role, physically.

01:00At one point, I was being asked to play the role of a 70-year-old woman.

01:08Immediately after a fraction of a second, I had to play the role of a 22-year-old woman.

01:15So, mentally and physically shifting was very difficult.

01:23Mentally, it was very difficult because such a crazy man who has been thinking of only

01:28one thing for 22 years, it was very difficult for him to get into the mind of any actor

01:33in the world.

01:34Thanks to him, because he is an actor's director, he understood my things, how to

01:44shift.

01:45It becomes very easy when the director is with you.

01:50And when you are the chemistry of the actor-director, it becomes very easy to give difficult things.

01:55For any actor, it's a great challenge, a really tough challenge to just switch from

02:00one state of mind to another state of mind and do it continuously over 30-40 days.

02:07So, Nawaz has been wonderful, both in terms of his passion, his commitment, his skill

02:14and his cooperation.

02:20I related it because of madness.

02:23I have the same madness for acting, passion of acting.

02:28So, I had to connect that more.

02:32His madness was to take his love and break mountains.

02:35And I had a passion for acting, a passion.

02:38He said that I related it.

02:40And the struggle I had, because of that passion, I tolerated it for 15 years.

02:48So, it's a passion that relates you.

02:52The actor shifts his other things and relates them.

03:00It's a very different kind of a film.

03:03So, we have to think out of the box.

03:06So, this digital platform seemed like the perfect way of launching the film.

03:12Even in India, the skepticism of the so-called established industry is also cracking up with

03:19these kind of films coming up.

03:21So, yes, the process has begun, the wave has begun and I hope it continues.

03:26This is a phase of transition that is going on where the old systems of distribution,

03:30the old patterns of distribution are all changing very, very rapidly.

03:35We are still struggling to cope with the technological change that is almost outpacing the industry as a whole.

03:45So, exciting times to be in.

03:47Exciting times to be creating films in India today.

03:52And technology is going to change dramatically the way we consume, produce, enjoy films.

04:02Our entertainment oceans.

04:10The entire process of this film has been quite a challenge.

04:13First was to convince people that this was a film that was a viable project.

04:17Then we decided to go and actually shoot on the original locations in Bihar,

04:21which is one of the most backward regions in India.

04:24There were no infrastructures, no facilities around.

04:27So, the entire unit used to stay in Gaya, which is 60-70 miles away.

04:32We used to wake up at 3 in the morning, travel an hour and a half to the location

04:37and then start climbing the mountain to start shooting.

04:40So, it was one of the toughest shoots of our lives.

04:44And then to break through the skepticism of the distributors.

04:50So, it has been quite a journey in this film and I am so happy

04:54that our conviction and belief in the subject and ourselves has finally been proven right.

The struggles of Manjhi - The Mountain Man to unfold in Dubai television

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