‘Need to document lockdowns for the future’

Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar in his latest film ‘India Lockdown’ aims to make the younger generation aware of the tough times faced by people during the early days of the first COVID-19-induced lockdown in the country. Inspired by true events, the 2020-set film will narrate four stories and how life comes to a halt after the lockdown is suddenly announced amid rising cases.

“We did a lot of research. There were so many stories but we thought of bringing out four stories. We dwelled into the life of a sex worker, a migrant worker couple, a pilot, and an elderly man. “It was necessary to bring all these aspects and document it for the next generation. This is not an anthology, all stories are connected,” said Bhandarkar at the trailer launch of the film.

Known for films like ‘Chandni Bar’, ‘Page 3’, and ‘Fashion’, the director said of the many heart-wrenching stories, the team chose to dig deep into the lives of people belonging to different socioeconomic backgrounds. “We felt the urge to put a lot of things in. But we had to filter it to make it precise. We have shown the personal struggles of these people.

There is nothing sensational,” he added. Actor Shweta Basu Prasad, who plays a commercial sex worker, said her long-cherished dream of working with Bhandarkar came true with ‘India Lockdown’. She said the director had offered her ‘Traffic Signal’ soon after ‘Iqbal’ but she couldn’t be part of it.