Amitabh Bachchan starrer Jhund based on the story of social worker Vijay Barse and directed by Nagraj Manjule is one of the most anticipated films of the year. The film is based on the founder of Slum Soccer, a Nagpur-based organization that works towards the upliftment of underprivileged children by providing them coaching in football. Before the film went on floors in December, Big B met Barse as part of his prep for the character.
Savita Raj Hiremath, the co-producer of the film shared details about the meeting with a leading tabloid. She said, “Nagraj invited Barse and his family on the film's set on the first day of the shoot. He thought an interaction between Barse and Bachchan saab would help the megastar gain insights into his character. He was awestruck when he realized that Bachchan saab had read up on him and his efforts to give the underprivileged children a better life. The superstar also told him that he agreed to do the film because he was proud of his endeavour and wanted the message to reach across the nation."
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Vijay Barse and Amitabh Bachchan[/caption]
Savita also revealed that as soon as Amitabh gave his nod to star in the film, Manjule had provided him articles and videos featuring Barse to make him familiar with the social worker’s work. She further told the tabloid, “After their meeting in December, Barse dropped in on the Nagpur set a few times. During their interactions that would last for half an hour or so, Bachchan saab would observe him carefully and you could see him bring those nuances in front of the camera."
Apparently, Barse was deeply involved in the making of the film Jhund. Savita informed, “We sat down with him to understand his organization's functioning. He also shared vital inputs when Nagraj was developing the screenplay. In fact, we have used real slum kids in the movie-while Barse turned them into proficient football players, Nagraj turned them into actors."
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Nagraj Manjule, Savita Raj Hiremath and Amitabh Bachchan[/caption]
Barse first gained widespread recognition when he appeared on Aamir Khan hosted show Satyameva Jayate. On the show, he revealed how he managed to inspire slum kids to develop an interest in soccer so that they do not pursue wrong habits and eventually managed to hold a series on football for the children.
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