Director Rocky Mulchandani says Pratik Gandhi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui are on his wish list for a biopic on internet sensation Raju Kalakar, a Surat-based puppeteer who went viral earlier this year
Pratik Gandhi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Freedom fighters, kings, and sports stars have inspired many biopics in Hindi cinema. But director Rocky Mulchandani has found an unusual subject for his biopic — Raju Kalakar, a Surat-based puppeteer who became an internet sensation earlier this year with his rendition of the song, Dil Pe Chalai Churiya. Ask the director what exactly drew him to the story, and he pegs it down to Kalakar’s simplicity and honesty.
“When I met Raju the first time, I was impressed. Earlier, he was running his father’s business of manufacturing dolls and selling them as puppets. When he couldn’t repay a loan, his wife left him. Raju worked hard, became successful, and won her heart again. I found that inspiring as marriages today end often because of ego clashes, but Raju put in efforts and showed that you can fix the cracks in your marriage. How he made his business thrive was equally fascinating,” shares Mulchandani.
Currently penning the script with his team of writers, the director — who previously helmed Gujarati film EkDe Ek (2021) — has envisioned two actors as the protagonist. “On our wish list are Pratik Gandhi and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. I worked with Pratik on an ad in 2020, and would like to work with him again. They both are highly talented and versatile actors,” he says. He plans to take the project on floors by November.
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