A spate of suicides by cotton growing farmers in Maharashtra in recent past is the main theme of filmmaker Girish Mohite's upcoming segment in 'Bioscope' which will be showcased at the Goa Marathi Film Festival.
The segment titled 'Bail' (Ox) is a part of the anthology film 'Bioscope' which is based on four different poems of various Marathi authors cobbled together into a movie.
The premiere of the movie will be held during the Goa Marathi Film Festival, beginning here tomorrow.
"The story is about farmers' suicides but through the eyes of an ox. The original poem is by Loknath Yashwant, which is adapted into a screenplay by me and Abhay Dakane (writer). I intended to show frustration of cotton growing farmers in the state. A quintal of cotton is sold at Rs 4,500 which is the cost of a shirt in a mall," Mohite told PTI.
The other three directors of 'Bioscope' include Ravi Jadhav ('Mitra'), Viju Mane ('Ek-hota-Viju') and Gajendra Ahire ('Dil-E-Nadan').
"The film may be based in Maharashtra but it mirrors the struggle of the toiling class across the country," he said.
To a query whether 'Bioscope' was inspired by 2013 Bollywood film 'Bombay Talkies', Mohite replied in negative.
"We had announced the project in December 2012, and 'Bombay Talkies' was released after that. Moreover, 'Bioscope' is an exclusive concept where the films are based on poems," the 'Bhartiya' director said.
Mohite said there was a good bonding between all the four directors.
