Given his passion for portraying reality, filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar has taken a keen interest in the aftermath of lockdown. Now that the Corona pandemic is showing some definite signs of regression, Bhandarkar will revisit the tough times in his film titled India Lockdown, where he will portray various issues such as massive migrations of labourer back to their small towns from the megacities and the perils the pandemic posed in India, for which he has also locked the cast. But the larger question that lingers in our curious heads is this: Will the National award-winning director showcase the tale as is, given the sensitivity of the topic without dramatizing it too much? The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives: Madhur Bhandarkar Accepts Karan Johar's Apology, Wishes to Move Forward and Leave Things Here (Read Statement)

The 52-year-old director, we gather has put together a cast comprising Prateik Babbar, Sai Tamhankar, Shweta Basu Prasad, Prakash Belawadi, Aahana Kumra, Zarin Shihab and Ayeesha Aimen for this venture which he had announced towards the end of 2020. A little birdie chirped to us that the filmmaker is also set to try out a storytelling format that is different from his usual style. We hope-we, sincerely, do hope-that Bhandrakar sticks to this promise! 12 Years of Fashion: Madhur Bhandarkar Reminisces His National Award-Winning Film with Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut (Read Tweet)

As a filmmaker who is known to take a leaf out of reality for his cinema, (be it showcasing the dark side of the movie and the fashion industry in movies such as Page 3 and Fashion, or showcasing the underbelly of Mumbai in Traffic Signal and in Chandni Bar) Bhandarkar has recently been intrigued by the universal impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people, irrespective of strata and demographics. India Lockdown  is inspired by true events. The film is produced by Bhandarkar Entertainment and P J Motion pictures. It will go on floor next week.

Madhur Bhandarkar confirms, “India Lockdown, as the name suggests, is set around the first two months of the lockdown (March-April 2020). The story revolves around how the lockdown affected people from different strata in society. All the actors of the film will be seen doing characters they haven’t done before and that made it exciting for me as a filmmaker to team up with them.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 21, 2021 07:48 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).