Filmmaker Manoj Tiwari says that he wanted to explore the effect of inter-caste marriages on the families of young people in love in his upcoming film P se Pyaar, F se Faraar.
Committed to highlighting various issues through his cinema, Tiwari’s previous film, Global Baba (2016) is an exposé of the world of god men who hoodwink their followers in the name of spirituality and religion, while P se Pyaar, F se Faraar explores hate crimes and the toll that caste-based violence takes on the victims as well as their families.
The film is based in Mathura, the ancient city immortalised by the legendary love of Lord Krishna and Radha, where two college going kids fall in love. But there is a vast class and caste divide that separates them, which cannot be bridged by their families, turning the city of love into a city of extreme hate.
Talking about the genesis and inspiration for the film, Tiwari said, “I am from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh and have observed that there are so many situations where girls choose the person they wish to marry and there is so much violence in the name of caste. Does one marry the person or their caste? We seem to be moving backwards in our thinking instead of going forward.”
Starring Jimmy Shergill, Kumud Mishra, Bhavesh Kumar and Girish Kulkarni, the film was screened as part of the Diorama Film Festival & Market held in New Delhi last month.
He added, “In my film, I wanted to look at the effect that is felt by the family when they are put through all this.”
The film melds together several themes as it highlights the ways in which talent becomes subservient to caste and an upcoming sportsperson is only judged by his bloodline. This was an integral theme for the filmmaker and he explained, “That [aspect] was included because there have been a few incidents where very able sports people were killed along the lines shown in the film. There have been a few very highly educated IAS officers also who have faced the brunt of this."
Commenting on the contemporaneity of the film and its relevance in today’s times he said, “In politics today, all politicians have been divided along caste lines, so how will the country improve?”
He added that it is this "divisive politics that is leeching the talent from the country, preventing our society from moving beyond primitive ideas and embracing people on their merit".