A cinematic clash recreated

A gruelling week-long shoot in Karjat for a biopic on Bal Thackeray’s life has come to a close. During this period, a particularly interesting scene was shot as well. The scene will refresh our memories about a bitter clash that happened in 1971, when a film replaced another at Kohinoor Cinema in Dadar. Way back in the day, Dev Anand’s film, Tere Mere Sapne, released by Navketan Production House happened to replace a popular, and successfully-running Marathi film at Kohinoor theatre — Dada Kondke’s Songadya. The move angered Marathi-speaking moviegoers, as many were eager to watch the film. The news of the replacement reached the Sena Bhavan, and after a meeting, party members and locals marched to the theatre to protest the move. It is this scene that has been recreated quite accurately in the biopic. It captures the anger and rage of the people as they make their way to the theatre. There is even a scene that shows Bal Thackeray making a fiery speech about the incident, just like he did in 1971. In his speech, Balasaheb had said, “Neeche se upar tak launga sab Marathi manus ko (I will help all Maharashtrians move up in life)”. Nawazuddin Siddique is essaying the role of Bal Thackeray with passion and the biopic has been directed by the Abhijit Phanse.