Biopics are not pioneering in the Indian film industry anymore and the latest addition to this list is Gul Makai, which is based on Malala Yousafzai, the world’s youngest Nobel laureate. While the world might be well-aware about Malala’s gunshot, what remains hidden is how she became an inspiration to the world and that’s the spin Indian film director Amjad Khan is giving to the biopic.
When asked about the title selection, director Amjad Khan said in a press statement, “When she was 11 years old, BBC Urdu approached her to write a blog about the life under Taliban torture, and she used Gul Makai, as the pseudonym. Education is as much as necessary, as the importance of Oxygen to be alive,” he said. So, Khan has promised to donate the movie’s first-day worldwide collection to the Malala Fund, which promotes the education of the girl child.
The film’s action sequences are shot in Bhuj, with 16 cameras and a team of 1,200 people. “I used 16 cameras throughout the film. By that, you get your desired shot without interrupting the performance of the actors. Some scenes were really high in drama, and I don’t believe in capturing drama in cut shots. Also, I opted for FTII and NSD passed out actors for even a minor role, who knows how to hold a gun properly,” Khan explained.
The other well-known thespians are late veteran actor Om Puri, Atul Kurkarni, Divya Dutta, Arif Zakaria, Mukesh Rishi, Abhimanyu Singh, Pankaj Tripathi, Sharib Hashmi and many more. Apart from the merit, the director opted for actors who resembled real characters. Child artist Reem Shaikh portrays the reel Malala Yousafzai.
The film has also recreated Malala’s home and school as it used to be. From the furniture to the computer, the crockeries, the attire, her school dress and her school bag, everything is just as it used to be.
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Amjad Khan also said, “It took two long years to finish off the research itself. And took another couple of months to write down the screenplay and dialogues. The research and writing are done by Bhaswati Chakrabarty. She is a perfectionist. I don’t think any other person could have done this so nicely”.
Amjad Khan has also penned down and composed the music himself. “The title song is written by Bhaswati Chakrabarty and the rest are penned down by me,” he said. Amjad Khan even convinced Late Om Puri ji to sing a song for the film. Actor and singer Piyush Mishra has also lent his voice for a song.
Produced by Sanjay Singla and Vijay Jaju, the biopic is all set to release later this year.