Film on Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to release on January-18
Scholar and freedom fighter Maulana Abul Kalam Azad's firm belief in Hindu-Muslim unity and his opposition to partition in the pre-Independence days will be the highlight of a new feature film, which is set to hit the theatres on January 18. The film Woh Jo Tha Ek Massiah-Maulana Azad is penned and co-directed by Rajendra Sanjay, who says the film talks about Azad's principles.
Younger generation should know what freedom fighters stood for: Rajendra
Rajendra said the younger generation should get to know what the freedom fighter stood for, in times of crisis. "The film talks about Azad's principles, his belief in communal harmony, secularist views which were not colored by any religion and faith in humanity," said Sanjay, who was in Kolkata along with lead actor Linesh Fanse and co-director Sanjay Singh Negi yesterday.
Film shows how Azad turned into mass leader: Sanjay
The film will show the events that shaped Azad's life, turning him into a "true mass leader," said Sanjay. "As someone who believed in united India and Hindu-Muslim unity, he had fervently hoped the partition can be avoided. But that wasn't the case," he said.
Assassination of Mahatma Gandhi also included in the film
The film will also dwell on the phase Azad came into contact with Mahatma Gandhi in 1920 in Delhi, his house arrest for publication of two magazines which propagated nationalist ideas in Kolkata and other defining moments, stated the director-scriptwriter. Woh Jo Tha Ek Massiah-Maulana Azad will also have references to post-Independence period, following Gandhiji's assassination, Sanjay added.
The two-hour-long film passed by censor board without single cut
The censor board has passed the two-hour-long Hindi film, mostly shot in Kolkata, Mumbai, and Delhi, without a single cut. Sharing his experience, Fanse, who plays the titular role, said he had auditioned for Muhammad Ali Jinnah's role, but the directors insisted he played Azad. "I had to learn Hindu and Urdu for the role," the actor said.
