Every social evil Jyotiba Phule fought still there: Pratik Gandhi
What's the story
Pratik Gandhi, who portrays Jyotirao Phule in Ananth Mahadevan's Phule, has expressed his surprise over the fact that Hindi cinema has never made a film about the 19th-century social activist.
He told SCREEN, "Every social evil he fought back then is still there, in one or the other form. So something which is so relevant, nobody thought about it...I just feel fortunate enough that I could do it."
The film, after facing backlash and certification delays, finally releases on Friday.
Character portrayal
'One must read and research everything before...'
Known for his role as Harshad Mehta and set to portray Mahatma Gandhi, Gandhi stressed the need for a well-researched script in preparing to play Phule.
"The reforms Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule have done are so huge that it's difficult to pin them down to 2 hours and 20 minutes," he said.
"So one must read and research everything before compressing the character's life. That job was already done by Ananth Mahadevan and his co-writers."
Representation
How Hindi cinema leaves out certain sections of India now
Gandhi was asked if Hindi cinema shies away from the depiction of caste. The actor said no and pointed out that the shift Hindi cinema went through since the '80s could be a reason why one might think so.
"I met a lot of people then who said, 'Ye sab toh roz marra mein hota hi hai. Issey badhkar cinema mein kuchh dekhna hai (This happens anyway in our daily lives. We want to see something beyond in our cinema).'"
Film focus
'Phule' explores Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule's relationship, too
Phule also delves into the love story between Jyotirao and Savitribai Phule, essayed by Patralekhaa.
Gandhi said their romance was a "much broader" one as Jyotirao wanted "to liberate his wife in a social environment where female education and freedom weren't even thought about."
"There's a sense of respect between them; that comes through only when we respect each other as actors so that it brings a lived-in sense of comfort to our romance."