'Budhia Singh ' Born To Run' is a different kind of biopic. It is based on the youngest marathon runner in the world. Talking exclusively to TimesOfIndia.com, the film's director
Soumendra Padhi spoke openly about the film, censorship issues, the real
Budhia Singh
and the tragedy that is far from over. Excerpts:
The biography trend has caught up in Bollywood. What made you chose this topic?It's unlike any other sports film. It has not been touched. Most of the biopics often show sprints and when you talk about a small kid as a marathon runner, it is debatable. The sport has always been political, always. The backdrop was so dramatic. You don't have to create any more drama. And when you shoot the film about what has happened with such a small kid, it is all the more dramatic. It has all the elements that technically look like a story. The contradictions I have found in the story are very enriching. The point of conflict and the level of conflict is so diverse. A lot of things were done for the first time. Never a child prodigy film has been touched upon. Never a kid has been explored at the national level.
How difficult was it to search for a child actor who could play Budhia?It was very difficult. Once we had Manoj Bajpayee complimenting him, the kid needs to connect with the audience. We auditioned in almost 10-12 states and searched in places like Delhi, Lucknow, Chhattisgarh and Orissa. Of course, we could not teach a 5-6-year-old kid to act so we tried to be just friends with him. One basic criterion was that he should be athletic. So Mayur Patole was selected and we had no second option. He is from a very humble background from Pune. He fitted very well. Four months prior to the shoot, he was already in Mumbai. He used to train around 6:30 am. There was a workshop conducted by Gopal sir. We trusted him enough that he will deliver during the shoot.
Was it challenging to shoot with a child actor who needs to look like an athlete too?It was a very nice challenge as he surprised us. For all my short films, I have worked with small kids so I have worked with small kids only. There was one scene in which Mayur was to hit a man on his head with a beer bottle. But he was very sensitive and was unable to hit the man. He would just not do that scene as he was afraid that he would hurt. We showed him that it's a sugar bottle and not glass. It took a lot of time to make him realise and convince him.
How was it working with Manoj Bajpayee? Did you have to convince him for the role?No, he didn't want to meet me but just read the script. He already knew a lot about the real story and he wanted to click it so that was an advantage. I had never spoken to him before. And once he liked it, he simply said yes over the phone.
Any interesting moment from the film shoot worth sharing?Initially, the kid Mayur wanted to get close to Manoj Bajpayee. Small kids are so charming but he used to maintain the distance which is visible in the film. But Manoj had to keep away from the kid. It must have been very tough for him not to interact with the children. They even travelled in separate vehicles. In Orissa, people confused Mayur for the real Budhia and it was nostalgia all over. About 10-20 thousand people came over to watch the shoot. We had to even stop the shoot for some time. Interestingly, when the real Budhia met Mayur Patole, they kept staring at each other for a long time. They didn't speak to each other. Budhia didn't believe someone could exactly look like him.
You used to work with a software firm. How did films happen?I have grown watching films. For a long period of time, I could not convey my interest to my parents. I didn't convey even post the shooting. When local news broke out on television that a film is being made on Budhia Singh, then only they came to know that I was directing it. Because I wanted to tell them only when I come on my own. I didn't even tell them that I was leaving my job. They were very scared and I could never get the courage to tell them. I had left my job and came to Mumbai.