From migrants to sex workers: ‘India Lockdown’ according to Shweta, Prateik, Aahana ( Photo Credit – India Lockdown Poster )
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Shweta Basu Prasad, Prateik Babbar, and Aahana Kumra are gearing up for the release of their upcoming streaming movie, ‘India Lockdown’. The three shared details about the Madhur Bhandarkar directorial which is all about the effect of the pandemic and the lockdown on common people.
The trailer of the film, which was unveiled on Thursday, highlights how many people became jobless, the issue of migrant workers while going back to their native places, and sex workers deprived of their source of income.
As the trailer starts with the announcement of a sudden lockdown by the government due to the pandemic, there is a hue and cry everywhere. Actress Shweta Basu Prasad plays the role of Mehrunissa, a s*x worker in Kamathipura in Mumbai, who is forced to adapt to the changes brought about by the lockdown and she finally decides to entertain people by showing her dance performances online.
On the other hand, actress Aahana Kumra is seen as Moon Alves, a pilot by profession, who starts getting bored sitting at home.
While Prateik Babbar as Madhav and Sai Tamhankar as Phoolmati are migrant workers who lose their livelihood in the pandemic. Phoolmati is a housemaid and because of the lockdown she was asked to sit at home and her entry is banned in residential societies. She and her husband have no work and they finally decide to return to their village but as there is no transport facility, they are forced to walk back.
Actor Prakash Belawadi as Nageshwar is shown as an aged man who is stuck in a different city than his daughter at a critical time of her life.
Talking about her research work and meeting the sex workers, in reality, Shweta said: “I researched a lot, in fact, Madhur sir and the team took me to Kamathipura in Mumbai where I met sex workers and picked on their lingo, body language, and mannerisms. I also realised that human emotions are a universal experience. Whether it’s the reader of this article or a commercial sex worker. Everyone’s stories of the lockdown should be told.
Aahana, who plays the role of a pilot forced to sit back at home because of the lockdown, shared that loneliness became a very important conversation during the pandemic, just like anxiety and depression.
She said: “My story in ‘India Lockdown’ highlights exactly that. I play a pivotal role of a pilot, a fiercely independent woman who hustles her way, has a luxurious, thriving career and everything comes to a standstill when the pandemic hits. I loved working with Madhur sir. He’s a feminist and loves portraying women in stories.”
Prateik elaborates further about the struggle of migrant workers during lockdown and how the story brings out their pain and agony: “We all read about the state of migrant workers due to the lockdown imposed in 2020 but I didn’t expect to represent them 2 years later in a Madhur Bhandarkar film. My role as a migrant worker gave me an opportunity to come closer to them and feel what they felt, the uncertainties and the struggles unlike ever before.”
Starring Shweta Basu Prasad, Prateik Babbar, Aahana Kumra, Sai Tamhankar, and Prakash Belawadi in lead roles, the film will stream on ZEE5 from December 2.
