Naxalism is no longer a jungle thing: Prakash Jha

Prakash Jha’s next film sheds light on the issue he believes is waiting to be tackled, reports Navdeep Kaur Marwah.

Filmmaker Prakash Jha, who is known for making hard-hitting films such as Mrityudand, Gangaajal, Apaharan, Raajneeti and Aarakshan, is excited about his next film, Chakravyuh, which stars Arjun Rampal, Abhay Deol and Esha Gupta. “It’s a tale of friendship set against the Naxal movement,” says the 60-year-old.

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But why Naxalism as a subject? “It’s a subject that is waiting to be tackled because now it has come to our neighbourhood. It’s no longer happening in some distant jungle. Around 200 districts of the country are Naxal-infested, you can’t ignore it. Even the Prime Minister has admitted that it is the gravest internal threat the country is facing. So, through the film we want to bring the issue into public domain by discussing it from all the perspectives,” says the filmmaker.

Ask him to comment on Bollywood’s latest trend, the Rs 100crore club, and Jha jokes, “Kahin membership milti hai iss R100 crore club ki toh mujhe bhi batana. I think this is all media created. Rather than the money, the main point is that your film should get appreciated.”

Moving on to his upcoming projects, Jha says, “My next film is Satyagraha”, which stars Amitabh Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor. It is a story about the anguish of the middle class throughout the world… whether it is the Arab Spring or Occupy Wall Street or the London riots. Then I am working on the script of Gangaajal 2, which will star Ajay (Devgn) and Raajneeti 2.”