Nitin Chandrakant Desai to make a movie on freedom fighter Lokmanya Tilak

Mumbai: Internationally acclaimed Nitin Chandrakant Desai has announced an epic movie based on the life of 19th century’s heroic personality Lokmanya Tilak. Born as Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the Indian nationalist, teacher, social reformer, lawyer and independence fighter was the first popular leader of the Indian Independence.

Tilak began his political life as a Maratha propagandist, then progressed into a prominent nationalist and soon transformed household worshipping of Ganesha into Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav.

Nitin Chandrakant Desai has always produced quality Marathi cinemas on the great personalities like Raja Shiv Chattrapati, Bajirao Mastani, Balgandharva, and unfolding the real mystery of our art in his movie Ajintha. The concept of Lokmanya Tilak took shape during the initial stages of his movie Balgandharva. Since then the research for the movie Lokmanya Tilak started.

With his vast historic knowledge and the support from the Tilak family and the historians, Desai will replicate the era and artistically define the journey of Lokmanya Tilak on the silver screen. The movie will include the major incidences of his life from his childhood to Independent India and his journey when people conferred him with the honorary title of ‘Lokmanya’, which literally means “Accepted by the people (as their leader)”.

Nitin Chandrakant Desai said, “Lokmanya Tilak was one of the first and strongest advocates of “Swaraj” and a tough radical in Indian consciousness. On the occasion of Ganesh festival, it’s an honour to announce a movie based on his life for today’s generation. This task would have been impossible without the support of Deepak Tilak, Shailesh Tilak, Mukta Tilak and Rohit Tilak. Our script written by S. G. Deshpande is filled with all the expertise shared by the Tilak family, historian like Sadanand More, Arvind Gokhale and Babasaheb Purandare. I’m also grateful to Suhas Joshi as she has agreed to be the consultant and casting director of our movie”.

The announcement of the movie created a huge noise at Kesari Wada. The script was first offered to Lord Ganesha at the wada in the presence of Babasaheb Purandare, Deepak Tilak, Shailesh Tilak, actress Suhas Joshi, writer Shirish Gopal Deshpande to seek the blessings.

The movie is tentatively titled as ‘LOKMANYA TILAK’ with an apt tagline “Swaraj is my birthright, and I shall have it!” which is well-remembered in India even today.