Vimal Chandra Pandey Talks About Bhojpuri’s First Sci-Fi Film ‘Maddhim’
New Delhi: When filmmaker Vimal Chandra Pandey set out to adapt Bob Shaw’s 1966 short story “Light of Other Days” into a Bhojpuri film, he faced skepticism from many quarters. The combination of Bhojpuri and science fiction was met with questions like, “Who is going to watch it?” However, for Pandey, who made his directorial debut with the critically acclaimed “The Holy Fish” (2017), the challenge was clear – to tell an engaging story in the language he grew up speaking.
In an interview with PTI, Pandey reflected on his passion for Bhojpuri cinema and the idea behind “Maddhim”. “Bhojpuri is my mother tongue, and I always wanted to do something in it. The desire to do something kept growing,” he shared. He cited the independent cinema movement in southern India, where culturally specific stories are resonating globally, as his inspiration. “Why not do something similar in Bhojpuri?” he added.
Maddhim tells the story of inspector Pratyush and constable Chaube, who are investigating the mysterious death of a famous pulp fiction writer, Raman Rastogi. While the local authorities suspect adultery and murder by Rastogi’s wife, inspector Pratyush uncovers an extraordinary scientific invention that eventually helps him solve the case.
Pandey, an established Hindi writer with novels such as “Bhale Dino Ki Baat Thi” and “Lahartara”, was keen to make a film in Bhojpuri. The idea of blending sci-fi into the narrative came from his co-writer Vaibhav Mani Tripathi, a sci-fi enthusiast. Initially, Tripathi had approached Pandey to translate one of his stories for a Bhojpuri audio app. But the duo soon envisioned a film, taking inspiration from Shaw’s 1960s story, particularly the concept of “slow glass,” which was then incorporated into a murder mystery.
Despite his excitement, the production process for Maddhim was much longer than expected, taking over two years. The filmmaker encountered several challenges along the way, including prejudice against Bhojpuri cinema’s association with lowbrow themes. Traditionally, Bhojpuri films have been linked to rural stories often involving downtrodden characters or focusing on issues like caste and poverty. Pandey was determined to break this mold.
“I faced challenges in casting. We thought we would not cast Bhojpuri actors but Hindi artists from the Bhojpuri region. But some big artists said, ‘Science fiction and Bhojpuri? Who is going to watch it?’” Pandey explained. He questioned why Bhojpuri cinema couldn’t explore genres like murder mysteries and science fiction, instead of always focusing on rural drama.
While Pandey is open to heartland stories, he believes that independent filmmakers in Bhojpuri have the potential to break new ground if given the proper support. He highlighted that the success of films in regional languages could be leveraged to uplift Bhojpuri cinema as well. “If 10% of the crowd from the Pushpa 2 trailer launch in Patna supports regional cinema, the situation will change drastically,” he said.
The response to Maddhim, which is available on MovieSaints, has been promising, and Pandey is hopeful that the success of this project will allow him to continue making films in both Hindi and Bhojpuri.
Looking back at his journey, Pandey expressed pride in his self-taught filmmaking process. “My struggle in Mumbai has been my film school,” he said, reflecting on his decision to dive into filmmaking without following conventional paths such as assisting other filmmakers. He hopes his second film, “Dhatura”, will also find the right platform for a successful release.
Maddhim stars Paritosh Tripathi, Om Dubey, Aruna Giri, Krishna Gopal, Nishant Kumar, Rajesh Tiwari, M K Pandey, and Asima Bhatt. Produced by K V Productions and Entertainment, the film aims to redefine the boundaries of Bhojpuri cinema by exploring a fresh, intellectually engaging genre.
