Madhur Bhandarkar to direct ‘India Lockdown’ for streamer ZEE5

Mumbai: Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar will be tackling a hard-hitting subject with feature film ”India Lockdown” for ZEE5, the streaming service announced Tuesday.

The movie, inspired by true events, will depict four parallel stories and the repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic on the people of India.

The film will feature an ensemble cast of Shweta Basu Prasad, Aahana Kumra, Prateik Babbar, Sai Tamhankar and Prakash Belawadi.

”Lockdown was a tough phase for many as people struggled to make ends meet and that gave seed to a thought to make a film on people affected by the lockdown.

”‘India Lockdown’ is a product of my observations, and it depicts raw stories of real people across various walks of life. This is a film that will resonate with many in some or the other way and I am glad that it will release on ZEE5 and reach out to so many people across the world,” Bhandarkar said in a statement.

The filmmaker, known for critical hits such as ”Chandni Bar”, ”Traffic Signal”, ”Corporate” and ”Fashion”, has penned the script of ”India Lockdown” with Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah.

It will explore the lives of disparate characters — a father-daughter duo who are stuck in different cities during a crucial high point in the daughter’s life; a sex worker and the hardships she goes through in her personal and professional life due to the lockdown; a migrant worker who barely manages to provide bread and butter for his family; and an airhostess who for the first time has some downtime compelling her to introspect.

The film, which will make its debut on ZEE5, will be produced by Jayantilal Gada of PEN Studios, Bhandarkar Entertainment and Pranav Jain’s PJ Motions Pictures. ”It is an exciting collaboration with Madhur Bhandakar who knows and understands the pulse of the viewers and has a talent to tell stories inspired by true events. ”This film narrates stories of ordinary people from across India and what they went through in the lockdown imposed due to the corona pandemic. We at ZEE5 believe in and always strive to bring forth path breaking content which is relatable yet engaging and this film truly encapsulates all that and more,” said Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India.

Gada said his banner Pen Studios is always on the lookout to get associated with great content and talented directors.

”’India Lockdown’ is just that. It has a very relevant story, and everyone shall identify with it in one way or another as no one is a stranger to pandemic. Madhur Bhandarkar is a master storyteller, and we are happy to associate with him and such content driven cinema,” he added.