Most films, especially with newcomers in the lead, are usually shot in scenic locations. But there are definitely a few exceptions. A recently released film ‘Lekar Hum Deewana Dil’ starring Armaan Jain and Deeksha Seth had a few scenes that were actually shot in the Naxalites area of India.
But then filmmakers in India are willing to take the risk. Some of them don’t want to fake a scene and re-create a scene in a set up. They would instead prefer to shoot at the real location. That’s whats been happening in Bollywood in the last few years. As plots get real and experimental, filmmakers are going to smaller towns and cities in India to capture the realistic feel in the movies.
Films Shot in Naxalite Regions
For this movie, the director Arif (known for his realistic films) wanted to shoot a scene where the the lead actors were surrounded by Naxalites. The director who hails from Jamshedpur (was earlier part of Bihar but now its in the state of Jharkhand) took special permission from the Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh (this state was been carved of Madhya Pradesh).
The local government was more than happy to assist as it provides free publicity for their state and also generates some local revenue. Chief minister Raman Singh provided complete security for the film shoot!
Even the lead pair of Armaan and Deeksha were non-fussy about the location and went with what the director suggested!
Some time back, Koyelaanchal, the film based on India’s coal mafia (directed by Asshu Trikha) was also shot in Naxal-infested region.
Bollywood Films on this Topic
Bollywood movies that have touched the issues of Naxalites include:
- Chakravyuh (directed by Prakash Jha): The movie’s a social commentary on the issues of Naxalites.
- Hazaar Chaurasi Ki Maa (directed by Govind Nihalani) is a film about a mother’s struggle to cope with her son’s death in Naxalite movement
- Red Alert (directed by Anant Mahadevan). It was a low budget Hindi movie that didn’t do well commercially
About Naxalites
In recent years, areas with strong Naxalites presence have been in the news for their armed conflicts with the local policemen, and so one would imagine that shooting at such locations would be a big no-no for our filmmakers. Naxal, Naxalite and Naksalvadi are basically Communist guerrilla groups in India, mostly associated with the Communist Party of India (Maoist); the term Naxal derives from the name of the village Naxalbari in West Bengal, where the movement began.
