Filmmaker Sanjeev Kumar Rajput is looking forward to shooting his fifth project, and for the first time in Lucknow, his home state. Tentatively titled World Cup, the film will be based on India’s victory in the Blind T20 World Cup 2022.
Rajput reveals that they are in the process of signing up actor John Abraham, whom he recently directed in the documentary Known To Unknown for the National Association for the Blind India.
“John sir is the brand ambassador for the association, and the documentary is on the life of visually challenged people. The film will be based on the real heroes of these fully and partially visually challenged players who brought laurels to the nation. Sir is scheduled to play the coach in the story, which is based on facts and fiction. We will shoot it in Mumbai, Lucknow, Mathura, and London,” says Rajput, director of Haunted Hills (2020) and Do Ajnabee (2023), during his recent visit to the state capital.
The 32-year-old writer-director started with his short film Blood Relation (2015), which he shot in his hometown Mathura. “My last release Manihar was entirely shot in Baijamau village in Kanpur Dehat with actor Badrul Islam and others. We shot the 2.02-hour-long film in just 11 days. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak launched the trailer of the film in Lucknow. I have also directed the film Shutdown, which we shot in Fatehpur Sikri, based on the real story of a lineman who lost both his arms during a mishap. I have also shot Mahakal Nagri with Ankit Raj and Ashutosh Rana, which is in post-production, in Ujjain, Agra, Mathura, and Gorakhpur. We hope the films will come out later this year,” says Rajput.
{{/usCountry}}The 32-year-old writer-director started with his short film Blood Relation (2015), which he shot in his hometown Mathura. “My last release Manihar was entirely shot in Baijamau village in Kanpur Dehat with actor Badrul Islam and others. We shot the 2.02-hour-long film in just 11 days. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak launched the trailer of the film in Lucknow. I have also directed the film Shutdown, which we shot in Fatehpur Sikri, based on the real story of a lineman who lost both his arms during a mishap. I have also shot Mahakal Nagri with Ankit Raj and Ashutosh Rana, which is in post-production, in Ujjain, Agra, Mathura, and Gorakhpur. We hope the films will come out later this year,” says Rajput.
{{/usCountry}}He completed his schooling in Mathura. “I also completed my MBA but then got attracted to filmmaking. After a filmmaking course, I started with direction, and it’s been a work in progress since then,” adds Rajput.