After the Mirzapur web series, the Hindi heartland story is the first choice of the audience. Now, the film The Purvanchal Files, based on the mafia and corrupt police system of Eastern Uttar Pradesh, is ready for release. Directed by Swarup Ghosh, the film stars R Siddharth, Zarina Wahab and Govind Namdev. The Free Press Journal caught up with the filmmaker for an exclusive interaction.
Opening up about his previous work, Swarup says, “I have directed Bengali films Warrant the Mission and Tobu Aporichito earlier.”
When asked why he is debuting in Hindi cinema so late, Swaroop replies, “It’s never too late. I was looking forward to a good opportunity to come by and once it arrived I set the ball rolling.”
The director then talks about The Purvanchal Files. “It is basically a cop’s film. It’s totally a fictional story. The script was already written when I entered. It’s about a cop who posted in Mirzapur and how he is forced to face the atrocities forms the crux of the story,” Swarup explains.
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When asked if corruption will also be shown in the film, Swarup states, “Yes, exactly! He will also fight against the atrocities and the corruption that is there in the police department as well. We have shown that everyone is corrupt from this area.”
When asked how much of the film’s shoot is complete, Swarup says, “The film is complete. We are shooting a dance number. It can't be called an item number as it is a celebration song. This film is going to be released in theatres on September 22.”
Talking about the film’s budget and his expectations, Swarup reveals, “The budget is somewhere around Rs 5 crores. Reliance Entertainment is releasing the film. Definitely, as the director, I expect the film to do well.”
Having directed Bengali films and now directing in Hindi, one wonders how different are these two mediums for Swarup. “I find them to be poles apart! We usually deal with emotional subjects in Bengali films. But here, it’s just different. This one is an action film thus very different. Actually as a director, I should not have an inclination towards any particular genre. My Bengali film Warrant The Mission was an action movie therefore I am not new to the action genre,” he avers.
The director is working on another project as well. “It is titled Balakot. The script is being written. It is inspired by the real Balakot incident. We still have to announce it,” he shares.
On a parting note, we quizzed him if The Purvanchal Files will create any controversy. “I am going to expose everything in a way which will not create any controversy at all. I have seen such characters in my life but I haven’t mentioned their real names in the film. Lastly, through this film I just wish to send a message to be pure and corruption free,” he concludes.
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