Pandit Lakhmi Chand, also called Dada Lakhmi, was prominent in giving identity to Haryana’s folk theatre, commonly referred to as ‘saang’ (drama). Lakhmi Chandi was born in 1903 and died at 42 as he endured poverty. Dada Lakhmi movie stars Yashpal Sharma, Meghna Malik as Lakhmi’s mother Rajendra Gupta as blind saang guru Maan Singh, Amit Pahel and others.
Yashpal is notable for his work in Lagaan and Gangaajal. The movie showcases the pre-independent era with him attempting to meet Jawaharlal Nehru during a public meeting at an unknown place in Haryana. Raju Maan has written it. The regional movie was released on November 8, 2022. It showcases the journey of a folk artist Pandit Lakhmichand musical journey, who hails from Haryana. Supratim Bhol has worked on its cinematography.
Yashpal’s directorial belongs to the biography genre. Most of its cast belongs to Haryana.
Yashpal was at Gurugram University with his team to discuss their film with the media studies department. When asked about the shoot locations, Yashpal stated that it has entirely been shot in Haryana across many districts like Sirsa and Lakhmi Chand’s native village Sonepat’s Janti Kalan, despite Rajasthan with beautiful locations.
“We have started working on Dada Lakhmi’s sequel, including its script,” said the actor cum director, who was awarded by President Droupadi Murmu for Best Haryanavi Film recently. He added it’s simple, with neither violence nor romantic scenes and can be watched with children and elderly people. Yashpal revealed that the distributor had told him it’s like “Paer Pe Kulhadi Maarna (digging your own grave), and it’s about losing your money. With reportedly good reviews, he said films can be made with passion and do not need massive amounts of money to be successful at the box office.
He stated that regional films have the capabilities to go to the Oscars, citing the example of Chhellow Show, a Gujarati film directed by Pan Nalin. Yashpal went on to say that very few films are made on an artist’s journey with respect to literature and listed some aa Natarang, Manto released in 2009 and 2018, respectively.
Yashpal mentioned the reason as coinciding with the Panchayat election in the state, among others, behind its release date. He emphasised that the movie is shown from Pandit Lakhmi Chand’s childhood days, and moviegoers will enjoy more than 2 hours watching it.
While advising some enthusiasts to become an actor, he remarked one shouldn’t worry about their physical appearance and must first become a member of the audience to watch a movie. He gave an example of Charlie Chaplin and urged them to work on original work without plagiarising the art.
The film is tax-free in Haryana and has received more than 63 international awards. It has received 9.4 out of 10 ratings on Imdb.com and is said to revolutionise the films in the state. Many have liked the idea of him staying to roots and bringing it alive into effect.
