Kabali and Kaala filmmaker Pa Ranjith’s next project is a Hindi-language biopic on freedom fighter Birsa Munda, IANS reported.
The film, which marks the Tamil filmmaker’s first non-Tamil project, will be produced by Namah Pictures, which had co-produced Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi’s Beyond the Clouds in 2018. The cast of Ranjith’s film hasn’t been announced.
Last week, Tamil filmmaker Gopi Nainar (Aramm) had also announced a biopic on Birsa Munda.
Birsa Munda belonged to present-day Jharkhand and led Adivasi groups in the fight against British oppression. He also demanded land rights for Adivasis and challenged conversions by Christian missionary groups by introducing his own faith called “Birsait”.
“When I first read about Birsa seven years back, in Mahasweta Devi’s Aranyer Adhikar, I knew that one day I will narrate this story,” Ranjith said in a statement.
According to IANS, the makers have bought the rights to Mahasweta Devi’s book, which was translated into Hindi as Jangal Ke Davedar.
“The life and times of Birsa Munda are an inspiration and it’s a remarkable story that needs to be told,” Shareen Mantri Kedia, co-founder of Namah Pictures, said. “There are very few parallels in history of so much being achieved at such a young age.”
Ranjith made his directorial debut with Attakathi (2012). His last film was the Rajnikanth-starrer Kaala (2018), about a slumlord in Mumbai’s Dharavi. Ranjith has also produced Mari Selvaraj’s breakout hit Pariyerum Perumal (2018).