Jitendra Singh Naruka, the director of upcoming crime drama film – Dhara 302 says that the audience would be surprised to know that there existed the regime of dacoits in Kota in Rajasthan, similar to what it was in Chambal in U.P.
Talking to FILMY TOWN, Jitendra puts forth his point, “Till now, you used to see movies made on lives of bandits who are in UP, Bihar, Lucknow, etc. There isn’t any film made on the bandits from Rajasthan. People have the general impression that all the Rajasthanis are timid Marwaris, who are shopkeepers and fearful, feeble people. No one ever has heard of any Rajasthani outlaws or a criminal.
When asked about how he decided on this genre, he said, “During a research of crimes in Rajasthan, we came across the real life story of Bhanupratap who was a collegian in around 1997. The crime-lords in Rajasthan had their blessing on this lad, and he started growing by stature as the time passed.”
Speaking about his protagonist, he continued, “Bhanupratap was never scared of death. he used to keep pistols as toys. The loots at the Toll naka fascinated him. There were netas who shielded him. And he even confronted some of them after he grew up in his stature as a dreaded dacoit.”
“There was a telecom company by a prominent business group to be launched in Rajasthan which was threatened by Bhanupratap and hence withdrew their handsets from the market. It was only after coming to a settlement with Bhanupratap that this company launched the mobile handsets in a large scale.”
Jitendra Singh Naruka observed, “We have seen a lot of Jaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Jaisalmer, Udaipur in films. Dhara 302 is based in Hadoti is in Kota. It is unexploited. Beautiful location, lush green, open land, and even the authorities were co-operative with us. My unit too was very accomodative with us. It used to be over 45 Degrees in summers, and temperatures were running high during the shoots.”
As regards the authenticity of the details, for the research on that topic, it took them more than two years, and they had to go through their contacts in the Police Force to come across right officers who personally were in charge of such cases more than a decade back.
They had to verify the facts, as some of their sources even exaggerated a lot of things about this clan. Hence they had to be practical, be logical, counter examine some facts and then put it down in their records.
In the process of meeting people, they even met some real time dacoits, the director requesting us not to name them and this was the height of a thrilling experience which even had a flip side. Says Jitendra, “We even got threats from certain quarters as lot of misconception was created by some groups in Rajasthan. It was troublesome clarifying their doubts. Like just recently, I got a call saying some dacoit is to be released from the prison, and that he would want to meet me. It sounded scary, but I faced it.”
At one time, even the authorities spread the word that Jitender Singh Narula has made the film “which glorifies the criminals and it would encourage the gangsters in Rajasthan”. This isn’t true. In fact, I have made the film to eradicate crime from our society.
Why choose a backdrop of Hadoti, which is in Kota Region, The director replied, “It is nowadays that the Kota and its vicinity is famous for its colleges and institutes. But there was a time just decades back when Kota was infamous at that time, that the reception guys of any hotel outside Rajasthan would not allot you any room if he came to know that you are from Kota.
To that extent that a resident of Kota would not be given a hotel room even in Jaipur which is in Rajasthan itself.”
The film carries a very strong message to the parents to take care to inculcate the right and the wrong since the child’s initial upbringing days, and be alert during the growing years of their child – not to encourage their kids in indulging in unethical or immoral deeds.
“Like the protagonist of my film, when he was a child, he used to play with gun or a knife, point pistol towards his parents, and they used to take pride in such a behaviour of their child. Which is very wrong!
Bhanupratap, as an adolescent and in college was an educated boy. But he was not guided properly by his seniors, his guardians,” Jitendra mentions about the protagonist of his film.
Asked if his film would do well with the audience, he says, “Dhara 302 is directed towards a family audience. It is a realistic film. Todays youth want to see something different. There is a curiosity element in our plot.”
