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Join us on SpotboyE for an exclusive podcast featuring the dynamic team behind 'Bastar - The Naxal Story as Adah Sharma, alongside director Vipul Amrutlal Shah and producer Sudipto Sen, delves deep into the gripping narrative. Don't miss out as Adah Sharma shares insights and anecdotes on this compelling project. Tune in for a captivating conversation with Adah Sharma and the team, only on SpotboyE's YouTube channel!"

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Transcript
00:00 Hi, I'm Adarsh Lanna.
00:01 Hi, I'm Sudipto Shanaya.
00:03 Namaskar, I'm Vicky Ramkumar Alshah and you're watching me on the Spotboy.
00:07 Press the bell icon on our YouTube app and never miss another video from Spotboy.
00:12 Welcome to Spotboy, my name is Abhinav.
00:17 And today we're meeting a team that we loved a lot before, that is the K-Draws team.
00:23 We identified a lot of things that we didn't know about.
00:30 Now you have a new team and you're working on a new story.
00:34 So I want to know how you teamed up for the first story?
00:41 Sudipto Dada told me about the research and story of both the films.
00:48 And when I heard the story, I decided that we would definitely do this film.
00:53 Like in the Kerala story, people got to know a lot of new information.
01:01 Maybe people know these things but they are afraid to face the truth.
01:07 This happens too.
01:08 Similarly, the research that Dada showed me in Buster.
01:12 We all know that 76 soldiers were killed in Buster.
01:16 The celebration that took place in JNU.
01:20 This is a common fact that everyone knows.
01:22 After that, when Dada showed me the research, I saw many shocking things.
01:29 A 4-month-old boy was killed by an iron rod.
01:34 And many times, in large numbers, our army soldiers were killed.
01:41 CRPF, police, our security forces.
01:45 So this has become an extremely violent event.
01:51 Then when we went to Buster, we saw that you can't build roads in Buster.
01:57 If you try to build roads, you will be killed.
02:01 You can't open schools, hospitals, mobile towers,
02:07 you can't take the water pipeline.
02:11 And apart from all this, you can't wave the Indian flag in Buster.
02:17 So this was a big shock for me that in our country,
02:25 there is an area where we can't wave the Indian flag.
02:29 And we talk about Kashmir, our security forces could go to every corner of Kashmir.
02:35 There is a jungle of 5000 km called Abujmar.
02:41 Even today, our CRPF security forces can't go inside if they don't get the support of the locals.
02:49 So this is a very terrible situation that developed in Buster.
02:55 And there is a very big intellectual backup in our cities
03:01 who justify this violence, this cruelty, this anti-development environment.
03:09 When I saw all this, I felt that this is a very serious issue.
03:15 And we should make a film on this.
03:19 Then we started writing the script.
03:23 The main reason we made the film was that when I read this information and research,
03:29 I couldn't stop myself.
03:33 Like the Kerala story, I felt that it is my moral responsibility to make this film.
03:39 And our people should know about this.
03:43 And I want that after watching this film, a voice should be raised from our country and this whole system should be broken.
03:49 And the dangerous part is not only the Naxalites, but also the people who support them in the cities
03:55 and are trying to break our country.
03:59 It was also important to break them.
04:03 So this was the reason to select the subject of the film and make the film.
04:07 Dada had told me about these two scripts before the Kerala story.
04:13 When we met for the Kerala story, Buster...
04:17 Because they have a very long history.
04:21 How did Radha come? What happened?
04:25 Only Dada can tell you that.
04:27 Dada, tell me one thing. When we talk about research,
04:31 you have to reach to every position in research.
04:35 How did you get all this data?
04:37 For me, this research, academic part, I had to work a little hard for it.
04:45 But the organic aspect, sociological aspect, cultural aspect, psychological aspect,
04:51 I inherited it from my childhood.
04:53 And where I was born, my native place,
04:57 in 1967, when the radical movement started, the Communist Party was divided into two parts.
05:05 One part was in the democratic system, the other part was against the system.
05:11 China, the revolution that happened in China a few years ago in the 1960s.
05:17 So, in that direction, in our country too, this radical movement started with the gun.
05:25 That was in North Bengal, at a place called Naxalwadi.
05:29 My house is 40 kilometers from there.
05:32 And some of my family members, my siblings were also involved in that movement.
05:38 So, my growing up phase, the growing up phase of that movement,
05:44 the growing up was almost parallel.
05:47 After that, when I reached Calcutta, I mean, leaving my childhood in North Bengal,
05:52 when I came to Calcutta for higher studies,
05:55 then the fire of this movement was burning in Calcutta.
05:58 Later on, it came, it started moving towards the south,
06:02 because the emergency had come, 72 to 77, it was the period of emergency.
06:07 75 to 77.
06:09 So, then in Bengal, this movement had a little less,
06:13 but that, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra,
06:20 the Telangana movement of that time was going on,
06:23 which was a movement of dividing the land, the land will be divided,
06:27 they used to call it the Tebala movement.
06:29 So, that movement was going on.
06:31 So, all this information, this increased with the information.
06:36 So, I didn't have to work hard.
06:39 When I came to know that from the whole country, this movement, radical movement,
06:43 radical mission movement, or Mahabadi movement, or Naxalite movement,
06:47 along with that, in the entire centre of India,
06:51 the state of Chhattisgarh,
06:54 in a simple part of that, the area which is called Bastar,
07:00 I started that Bastar area in 2005-2006-2007,
07:06 that's when my academic interest started.
07:09 Academic interest means, the data that you will see in the film today,
07:14 the information in that,
07:16 the people who are actually travelling on the ground,
07:19 the everyday stories that we brought for this film,
07:23 so, this was an organic process going on.
07:26 When I met Nipul ji, we certainly made the Kerala story before,
07:31 but it was possible that we made this story before and the Kerala story later.
07:35 This was just a logistical adjustment.
07:38 But, research work, script development, we did almost both at the same time.
07:43 And how did you add the Aadhaar map?
07:46 Yes, I will tell you about the Aadhaar map first.
07:50 Actually, when we were casting for Kerala story,
07:53 initially, we were looking for a Malayali actor for Kerala story.
08:00 Because, it was not an easy decision to cast Shalini Mundi Krishna and Aadhaar Sharma.
08:07 Then we also looked for Tamil actresses.
08:10 After that, when we realized that this script does not require just acting,
08:16 it requires a lot of strength, a lot of people who can make the mind understand,
08:20 because this story was not an easy narrative.
08:23 To do a great script, the film language requires a lot of passion.
08:29 So, we found a passionate actress in Mumbai, who is Aadhaar Sharma.
08:33 After that, the way we made the Kerala story,
08:39 I think, I was discussing with Nipul ji,
08:43 that in the history of Indian cinema, it has never happened that people are nail painting the character of any actress,
08:53 people are making tattoos.
08:55 So, it was a matter of diversification.
08:58 Aadhaar's character reached a crescendo.
09:02 So, it was very easy for us to choose.
09:05 We just needed a phone call, "Aadhaar, you are doing."
09:09 What was your reaction when you got the offer from Mumbai?
09:12 Yes.
09:13 It's a real-life story, so when you are doing a real-life story,
09:19 or when you are doing a commercial, there are two different things.
09:22 And when it comes to real life, there are a lot of aspects that have to be clear.
09:26 If you talk about Naxals, I am from MP,
09:31 and if there is a Naxalism or Naxalites, people are taking steps back.
09:37 I will tell you about yesterday's incident.
09:42 I told them that I am from MP, and they said, "Oh, Naxalism."
09:45 You can identify a change in their behaviour.
09:49 So, when you are doing a movie, and you are just against Naxalism,
09:54 do you think that when they watch the movie, they will think of something else?
10:00 No, but firstly, to do a movie or not, I didn't think of all this.
10:05 I am very intuitive, whether it is fictional or real.
10:08 I trust my intuition.
10:10 So, if I feel that I have to do it, I am very sure.
10:13 If I am sure that I don't have to do it, I am very sure that I don't have to do it.
10:15 So, this of course, I was very sure that I have to do it.
10:18 But if you are talking about a true-life incident,
10:22 and you are standing against terrorists,
10:24 then I am definitely on the side who is against the terrorists.
10:28 I am not here to stand for someone who is bullying somebody else.
10:32 So, when I knew that this film is on the side of people fighting terror,
10:37 that Nija Madhavan is fighting against the system,
10:42 against corruption, so I was...
10:46 And let me tell you one more thing,
10:48 it is not that Hada, just as an actress, came to do a film.
10:53 Hada, you know about the Nateshwari Temple,
10:56 you came from MP.
10:58 The most influential temple in that area is called Nateshwari Temple,
11:04 it is in Dantewada.
11:05 Before the shooting, he went to the Nateshwari Temple,
11:08 which people of Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh think,
11:11 do any good deed, take the blessings of Goddess Danteshwari.
11:15 So, Hada went there, took the blessings of Goddess Danteshwari,
11:19 after that, Hada spent the day with the IPS officer, Cobra Force,
11:23 went to the jungle with them, how they eat, how they talk,
11:29 that was a first-hand experience.
11:32 So, it is not that just as an actress, she came,
11:36 that first-hand experience, organically,
11:38 she understood the Chhattisgarh situation,
11:40 then she went to do this film, did the shooting with us.
11:44 The monologue you did in the teaser, that was so good.
11:48 It was so powerful that when I was watching,
11:50 I felt like I was going to lose myself.
11:52 The second part is that, after that,
11:55 I felt like, this is happening,
11:57 and now, after watching the trailer,
12:00 I feel like, now I have to see what exactly happened.
12:03 So, ma'am, how was your experience with this movie?
12:07 Thank you for liking the trailer, I think.
12:11 But I've realized, as an actor, if your lines are well-written,
12:15 or if someone is giving you the right direction,
12:17 then you can pull out some amazing performances from someone.
12:22 That with Kerala Story also we saw,
12:24 and I think with Basktar, hopefully, also you'll see.
12:27 Like Sudipto sir said, in the starting,
12:29 we went to the Danteshwari Temple,
12:31 and there, it is said that,
12:33 only if the mother wants, you'll be able to shoot,
12:36 otherwise, this movie won't happen.
12:38 This is the saying there.
12:39 This is the saying there.
12:40 They won't let you do it.
12:43 The work is there.
12:44 Or the movie won't happen.
12:45 So, they said, it's a very, like, you go there, but then if...
12:48 They call it the mother's chakra.
12:51 Yes, but I think, with their blessings,
12:53 the movie has been completed very well.
12:55 And I'm looking forward for people to watch it.
12:57 And the IPS officers there,
12:59 the CRPF there,
13:02 a lot of girls, who had their first-hand experiences,
13:05 where they live in the jungles,
13:07 they were very kind to allow me to also observe them,
13:10 to be with them, to live with them there,
13:12 so that I can learn.
13:14 So, how many days are you there with them,
13:16 to experience the whole drive?
13:18 I think, like, a week.
13:20 We, in the offices, I wanted...
13:22 Sudhir sir wanted me to meet the IPS IG,
13:25 to see how much power he has.
13:27 In real life, I don't identify that much with the characters,
13:30 because in real life, I'm not a person who's an in-charge person,
13:34 who'll...
13:35 No, what happens is, the IPS officers,
13:37 you'll see IPS officers in Bombay,
13:39 and in Chhattisgarh, in Bastar,
13:41 they're diametrically opposite.
13:43 There, they're given the training of jungle warfare.
13:46 Especially, the inhospitable landscape there,
13:50 dense jungle, which Vipul sir just mentioned,
13:53 Abujmar.
13:54 Abujmar is such a jungle, which is not on Google Maps.
13:57 I mean, you understand, it's such a dense jungle.
14:00 In that area, with the people there,
14:04 the people who are roaming around with guns, Maoists,
14:06 to fight them, the IPS officers who go from outside,
14:10 they have a separate training.
14:12 So, it was necessary for Ada to go there.
14:14 Because, their body language, their commitment level,
14:20 is completely different from the IPS officers in the city.
14:24 So, that was a huge experience for Ada,
14:28 to be with these people in real life.
14:30 Sir, what was your best experience with them,
14:32 that you enjoyed, or you didn't?
14:35 Well, see, it was a very challenging shoot.
14:39 Because, we were shooting in the jungle,
14:41 it was a challenge to take a vanity van there,
14:44 generator, camera equipment,
14:46 to deliver all that there,
14:48 to deliver food, all this was very challenging.
14:52 But, once that challenge was over,
14:55 and we started shooting,
14:57 then, in whichever jungle we were shooting,
15:00 there, the beauty of our units,
15:04 our artists,
15:06 is that when the situation becomes difficult,
15:09 then, they become very close to each other.
15:12 And, they work like one family.
15:14 They work like a team, like a family.
15:17 And, they stop considering challenges as important.
15:20 Because, everyone knows that this is going to be difficult.
15:23 And, we have to work amidst these difficulties.
15:26 There is no other option.
15:28 So, before shooting, if you have a feeling,
15:33 that I don't know, so many,
15:35 we have around 170 actors in this film.
15:39 So, so many actors, so much action,
15:41 you know, stuntmen, this and that,
15:43 such a difficult shoot, how will this happen?
15:47 You know, maybe,
15:49 as soon as the shooting starts,
15:51 there will be opposition,
15:52 that no, no, we won't be able to work like this.
15:54 But, it was exactly the opposite.
15:56 Everyone worked together, very beautifully.
16:00 So, I think, that one advantage of those difficulties was that
16:04 the team was strongly united.
16:06 So, shooting actually every single day was fun,
16:09 every single day was memorable.
16:11 Because, we were shooting something or the other, very crookedly.
16:15 We were looking for different locations in different jungles.
16:19 So, shifting, and so, it was a lot of hard work.
16:24 But, at the same time,
16:26 experience of making the film was very, very satisfying.
16:29 Sir, what is that thing in this film,
16:32 that people should not see?
16:34 Please show us.
16:35 What I said first,
16:37 that in our country,
16:39 these things have been hidden in a very systematic way.
16:44 If you, in India,
16:46 cannot wave the flag of India,
16:49 or thousands of people have been systematically killed.
16:54 Just 15 days ago, 4 soldiers were killed.
16:57 A police officer was shot in public,
17:00 500 meters away from the police station.
17:04 This type of violence is happening openly.
17:07 And, the people sitting in the cities,
17:11 who give them cover fire,
17:14 who protect them,
17:16 who try to build a narrative that all this is justified.
17:20 The same people,
17:22 who encourage JNU students to celebrate our 76 soldiers.
17:27 So, it is very important for us to recognize the enemy within our country.
17:33 We will expose the enemy.
17:36 And, we want to recognize them.
17:40 And, such a big human tragedy is happening there.
17:44 So, the film has a tremendous amount of emotion and exposure.
17:51 So, the audience should come to see both the elements.
17:55 I feel that this is a very difficult film than Kerala Story.
17:59 So, if you have liked Kerala Story,
18:02 I am sure you are going to like this one as well.
18:04 Sir, one thing is there,
18:06 since the time I started my career,
18:08 to write film content,
18:10 one thing is there, impact.
18:12 When you are making some content,
18:14 it has to have an impact.
18:16 That content has a different value.
18:18 At that time, it was all over social media,
18:22 that the story is going full on.
18:24 So, that is more important,
18:26 than what we see in Kerala Story.
18:28 And, I wish that something similar happens with Bastaar.
18:31 Because, until the impact is not there,
18:33 it is not fun.
18:34 Like, it is a different kind of content.
18:36 So, what do you think, how much impact will it have this time?
18:38 See, we have made a very bold film.
18:40 And, to make such a bold film,
18:42 we need a lot of courage.
18:44 Many people have told us this.
18:46 Many people have told us not to make this film.
18:48 Particularly, many of my friends have told me,
18:51 "Vipul, don't make this film. It is very risky."
18:53 "It is more dangerous than Kerala Story."
18:57 "Don't venture in this."
18:59 But, the pain and the pain I have seen there,
19:03 after that, I felt that if I don't make it,
19:06 I won't be able to forgive myself.
19:08 So, I decided that I will make it.
19:11 And, our policy is very clear,
19:13 that we will speak the truth.
19:15 And, we will speak openly without fear.
19:17 So, the kind of violence in this film
19:20 that is there from Kerala Story,
19:23 or the kind of human tragedy that is there in this film,
19:26 that is perhaps two steps ahead of Kerala Story.
19:29 So, I feel that when people will watch this film,
19:33 then, it will have an impact,
19:37 a national debate will be formed on this topic.
19:42 Like, Kerala Story has become a national debate,
19:44 similarly, this film will also become a national debate.
19:48 I feel like this, because I have seen this film.
19:52 "I also feel like this, that the way they behave,
19:55 Oh my God, this is...
19:57 I also feel like, watch this movie,
19:59 and then, this too, 100% sure,
20:01 when these names, Naxalites, Naxalites,
20:04 when this thing comes,
20:06 at that moment, a different color is created.
20:08 Because, in people's mind, they will say,
20:10 that these people, they are very bad guys, dangerous.
20:13 When I used to travel in trains,
20:15 there used to be a train like this,
20:17 so, there was an RBI officer,
20:19 he used to come and he will be like,
20:21 close the doors, close the doors,
20:23 no one will be allowed in this area.
20:25 At that time, I was very young,
20:27 now, imagine, how dangerous it was,
20:29 that the train will close all the doors,
20:31 you can't shop here.
20:33 I want to tell you a very simple,
20:35 small thing on this.
20:37 There is a report from United Nations,
20:39 that the world's most dangerous organization,
20:41 ISIS, which we call ISIS,
20:43 second is Boko Haram,
20:45 which operates in Africa,
20:47 and third is Indian Maharashtra.
20:49 When United Nations,
20:51 declares you as the world's
20:53 third most dangerous organization,
20:55 then you think,
20:57 how big this thing will be.
20:59 There was another research of Wall Street Journal,
21:03 and in the research,
21:05 it said, 100 years of communism,
21:07 and 100 million dead.
21:09 10 crore people have died,
21:11 because of communism,
21:13 in the whole world, till date.
21:15 So, this is a very,
21:17 violent ideology,
21:19 and a very dangerous matter.
21:21 And people will have to see it,
21:23 from this perspective,
21:25 and have to understand it.
21:27 And I hope, that our film,
21:29 will feel like an eye-opener.
21:31 Last question, I have a question.
21:35 When so much has happened,
21:37 and there is a stupor,
21:39 still,
21:41 this film has to be made,
21:43 as a big issue.
21:45 If you love your country,
21:47 then you have to do this subject.
21:49 I love my country a lot,
21:51 and I always say,
21:53 that anyone,
21:55 any political party,
21:57 or any politician,
21:59 can be opposed,
22:01 and that should be done,
22:03 that is the beauty of our democracy.
22:05 So, if you are wrong,
22:07 and exposing yourself,
22:09 is the duty of every Indian citizen.
22:11 I consider myself lucky,
22:13 that Dada,
22:15 brought this script to me,
22:17 and I got the opportunity,
22:19 to make this film.
22:21 I think,
22:23 this is a very important subject,
22:25 and you will see,
22:27 how much discussion,
22:29 this will have in the future.
22:31 I understand, that you are going full on.
22:33 What is your experience?
22:35 First of all,
22:37 I feel very happy,
22:39 when we talk about Kerala stories,
22:41 usually I make films,
22:43 and people ask me questions,
22:45 about my experience,
22:47 or how I felt about doing this.
22:49 But today, you are telling your stories,
22:51 so enthusiastically,
22:53 your experiences,
22:55 I feel very happy,
22:57 and this is before the release,
22:59 like we did Kerala,
23:01 so before the release,
23:03 people were asking,
23:05 what happened with me,
23:07 and my friend,
23:09 and we meet people at airports,
23:11 so people are so excited,
23:13 to tell me their experience,
23:15 of the story we are making.
23:17 We are so fortunate,
23:19 that we got this opportunity,
23:21 to connect with people.
23:23 I feel I am very lucky,
23:25 that as an actor,
23:27 I got this opportunity,
23:29 to connect with this truth,
23:31 and to share it with people.
23:33 I feel the joy,
23:35 when people come and tell me,
23:37 that they have seen my story,
23:39 and they are happy,
23:41 when I told them,
23:43 about my experience,
23:45 and they are happy,
23:47 when they see my story.
23:49 I am so happy,
23:51 that I see your excitement,
23:53 and I feel that,
23:55 we can be part of your excitement,
23:57 and usually,
23:59 my excitement,
24:01 your excitement,
24:03 we are going with the whole country,
24:05 I felt like the whole country,
24:07 was on our side,
24:09 and everyone was like,
24:11 we will make this movie work,
24:13 we will do this for this movie,
24:15 and it is our movie.
24:17 So, we were walking around the city,
24:19 with the poster of Kerala Story,
24:21 and we were being sent photos and videos,
24:23 so I feel,
24:25 there can't be a better experience,
24:27 than this.
24:29 Like we were talking,
24:31 Adani character's nail paint is being made,
24:33 in the nail paint shops,
24:35 there will be nail paint of Shalini Undikrishnan,
24:37 a girl has made her tattoo,
24:39 on her hand,
24:41 Shalini Undikrishnan,
24:43 this was the reason,
24:45 when cinema was made,
24:47 100-150 years ago,
24:49 when science made cinema,
24:51 this was the objective,
24:53 to create a movement,
24:55 and we are proud,
24:57 that Kerala Story,
24:59 left such an impact in people's mind,
25:01 even after 9 months of release,
25:03 people are still talking,
25:05 with the same excitement,
25:07 and enthusiasm.
25:09 Wow sir,
25:11 I have a question for you,
25:13 because you know,
25:15 what is your life,
25:17 what is your world,
25:19 yes, that is the thing,
25:21 because I have seen small kids,
25:23 there is a place called Kutru,
25:25 you might know,
25:27 Kutru means southern tip of Chhattisgarh,
25:29 there is an orphanage,
25:31 in Anathalaya,
25:33 where I have been twice,
25:35 once 359 kids,
25:37 once 422-423 kids,
25:39 and the specialty of those kids,
25:41 is that,
25:43 all their parents,
25:45 were killed in front of their eyes,
25:47 and they were killed badly,
25:49 they were cut off one eye,
25:51 cut off the other eye,
25:53 cut off half of the throat,
25:55 they were cut off all day,
25:57 and that happened in front of the kids,
25:59 all those kids,
26:01 think about it,
26:03 there are 400 kids in one place,
26:05 that is the story of all of them,
26:07 so as an artist,
26:09 if you paint,
26:11 the faces of those kids will come in front of you,
26:13 yes,
26:15 if you are a musician,
26:17 the voices of those kids,
26:19 will come in your ears,
26:21 a filmmaker's job,
26:23 will be to tell the story of those kids,
26:25 in films,
26:27 there are a few moments,
26:29 to tell the story of those kids,
26:31 whose parents were killed,
26:33 in a very similar way,
26:35 very beautiful,
26:37 very different,
26:39 and I think cinema is the best way,
26:41 to teach history,
26:43 when we sit in the room,
26:45 we are like,
26:47 when we look at history,
26:49 we remember the experiences,
26:51 which is more important,
26:53 than the dates,
26:55 so sir, thank you,
26:57 for giving such a lovely movie,
26:59 and the next one,
27:01 such an informative movie,
27:03 so thank you, thank you so much,
27:05 Spot boy!
27:06 (upbeat music)

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