More than two decades after this newspaper broke the story, the Bhagalpur blindings have become a part of director Prakash Jha’s next film. The movie, titled Gangaajal—The Holy Weapon, stars Ajay Devgan and Lagaan actress Gracy Singh in lead roles.The infamous incident, first reported in the New Delhi edition of the The Indian Express in October 1980, involved police atrocities on 31 undertrials who had been blinded in custody in a Bihar prison after policemen poured acid into their eyes. The news item was followed by a detailed report by the newspaper’s Patna correspondent and a front-page picture. The gruesome incident was then raised in Parliament and led to the suspension of the policemen involved in the case.Filmmaker Jha is known for his comments on society through films such as the Damul which starred his then wife Deepti Naval and Mrityudand with Madhuri Dixit. He admits that the Bhagalpur blindings are a part of Gangaajal but adds that the film is not based only on that incident.‘‘It explores the dilemma of police action vis-a-vis societal and moral codes of conduct. While Bhagalpur is an incident in the film, my script is full of other anecdotes too which I have heard from people in small districts and my friends in the police service,’’ he says. ‘‘The theme of the film had been lurking in my mind ever since I made Damul in the mid-’80s.’’ In Jha’s film, Devgan is the protagonist, a Superintendent of Police in a fictitious district called Tejpur in Bihar. ‘‘He is caught in a turmoil since what is socially right may not be morally right,’’ Jha adds. Gracy Singh plays Devgan’s wife, a strong woman who doesn’t support him if she thinks he is wrong.The director feels his film is topical in the light of last year’s Gujarat riots where a minority community was targeted. In the Bhagalpur case, a section of the residents of Bhagalpur supported the suspended policemen and argued that the blindings had brought down the crime rate in the town.On his part, Jha doesn’t reveal the stand he takes in the movie. ‘‘All I can say is that truth wins in the end,’’ he replies. Shooting for the film began last week at Satara in Maharashtra and the movie is likely to be released this July. Gangaajal stars a total of 87 actors, including Mohan Agashe, Anita Kanwal and Ayub Khan, who also played Madhuri Dixit’s husband in Mrityudand. Besides Satara, some parts of the film will also be shot at Wai in Maharashtra. Jha says shooting the film in real townships is not a hindrance since he is making a conscious effort to involve local residents.
