Trained to play dacoit

Baby Jannat was taught by producer Siddharth Tewary to emulate his inspiration, late MP Phoolan Devi.

Baby Jannat and the team of Phulwa, a television daily inspired by the life and times of the late dacoit-turned-politician Phoolan Devi, have had a tough time shooting in the rough terrains of Chambal, where Phoolan spent her childhood. It’s also said that the team will return to the city and start shooting here towards the second half of the month.

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When asked, producer Siddharth Tewary of Swastik Pictures, the production company helming the show for Colors, confirms, saying, “The weather has been terrible. North India is in the news these days because of consistently plummeting temperatures. My entire crew has been facing a lot of difficulties shooting sequences, but no one’s complaining because they’re also enjoying the process, especially child actor Jannat. She finds it all so thrilling. She’s missed a bit of school, but she’s promised me that she’ll study well and do us proud.”

It’s said that Tewary was the one who trained Jannat to portray the character of Phulwa. “I train all my actors depending on how well they take it. Then I leave them to the directors. In Jannat’s case, I didn’t burden her with the entire storyline, and the actual life of Phoolan Devi because Phoolan is only my inspiration. The show is not a true story. I take Jannat through one episode at a time because I don’t want her mind to be overloaded with things she doesn’t need to know,” he adds.

“Nope,” says Tewary. “Our show is just inspired, it is not a true story. Naturally, we have family audiences in mind and will never show anything that’s obscene or can hurt the sentiments of a social group.”