‘Kantara inspired me to make ‘Munjya”: The director said- Hollywood has a fifty year old story, we have stories for centuries

Director Aditya Sarpotdar’s film ‘Munjya’ is being liked a lot these days. Without any big star, this film is being liked only because of the subject. The director got the inspiration to make this film from ‘Kantara’. During a special conversation with Dainik Bhaskar, the director told that there are such folk tales in every province of our country. If films are made on them, centuries will pass, we will not have a shortage of subjects for the film. Aditya has inherited film making. His grandfather Vishwas Sarpotdar and father Ajay Sarpotdar have been well-known producers and distributors of Marathi cinema. Aditya Sarpotdar started his career in 2008 with the Marathi film ‘Uladhal’. What is Munjya, where did you get the inspiration to make a film on this subject? Munjya is the story of a Brahmarakshas, ​​whose stories are very popular in Konkan of Maharashtra. Since childhood, I used to wonder why films are not made on such stories. The film ‘Kantara’ made on such a folk tale was a big hit. There are many such stories in our Maharashtra and every province of the country. If films are made on them, then there will never be a shortage of subjects. In Hollywood, big series like Game of Thrones, Harry Potter have been made on books written in the last 50-60 years. We have such stories lying with us for centuries, centuries will pass by. There will be no shortage of stories for films. Munjya comes from the Brahmin community of Konkan. Upanayan ceremony of children is done at the age of 5-7 years. Which is called Munjya in Konkan. If those children die prematurely after 10 days of Munjya, then their unfulfilled desires are not fulfilled. That is why they become ghosts, which are called Munjya. That is, Munjya is made from Munjya, which has a special connection with the Peepal tree. Because the bones of the dead child are buried under the Peepal tree and the sacred thread is tied to the tree. It is believed that the ghost is tied to the tree. If he somehow manages to escape from the tree, he will create havoc in the village. This is a horror film, but instead of getting scared, children are enjoying the film. This is more of a comedy film than a horror film. When we think of ghosts, we imagine 6-foot-tall scary faces. But the image I had of Munjya since childhood was not scary. I made this film keeping in mind the age group of 10-20 years. I always felt that if a film is to be made on this subject, then the film should be for children. There is a little more humor in it for children. We shot the film on real locations. Did you ever have any scary experiences during the shooting? During the shooting, we laughed more and were less scared. When a pure horror film is made, there is a little scary atmosphere. But this is not a complete horror film. There was an incident where we had a little scary experience when we were shooting in Konkan. There, a person from the unit said that he was not getting enough sleep because he woke up at 3 am every night. He used to wake up at the same time every day. There were 20-25 people with whom this was happening. It had happened to me as well. We started thinking why this was happening to everyone? We were a little scared. Do you believe in ghosts? I believe in positive and negative energy. There are some places where you feel that you should not stay there for a long time. Why does this happen, I have not understood the logic of this till date. Sometimes if you go to a cave, there is such positive energy that you feel like sitting there for some time. Sometimes even in an open place, it feels like it is not worth staying there. You have inherited film making. Your grandfather and father were also associated with film making, how and where did you start? We had a theater named Alka in Pune. Which was run by my grandfather and father. After school, I spent a lot of time in the theater. I got a lot of opportunity to understand cinema. My grandfather produced many Marathi films. I used to go to their sets. I learned to ride a bike on the set itself. The set had become a part of my life. Apart from that, I did not know anything else. I had decided that whatever I wanted to do, I would do it in the industry. What kind of struggle did you have to face to make your first film? When you come from a film background, you have to struggle less to make your first film. You have to struggle to make the film good. I made my first Marathi film ‘Uladhal’ in 2008. It was easy for me. At that time, it was a multi-starrer film. I was taking the first shot and forgot to say roll action camera. After this, you made 5-6 more Marathi films. You did a new experiment in Hindi by making The Sholay Girl? I had to make that film for Zee Five for International Women’s Day. I made that film based on India’s first stuntwoman Reshma Pathan, who worked as a stunt double for Hema Malini in Sholay. Bidita Bag played the role of Reshma Pathan. It was an hour-long film. That film had to be completed in a very short time. During the shooting of the film, my leg got fractured and I completed the shooting of the entire film sitting on a wheel chair. The next film Kakuda is also a horror film? This film can be called a comedy film rather than a horror film. Sonakshi Sinha, Ritesh Deshmukh and Saqib Saleem have worked in this film. We have a habit of saying very easily that it is a horror film. But the truth is that very few horror films are made here. I last saw the horror film Tumbbad. I was scared after watching it. The story of Kakuda is based on a true incident of a village situated on the border of Mathura and Rajasthan, which we have presented in a comedy style.

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