Abhijeet Warang's next Marathi movie Dhumshaan is based on unique ritual from Konkan region

National award-winning filmmaker Abhijeet Warang has just finished directing his second Marathi movie, Dhumshaan. The film, which stars newcomer Vinayak Chavan and Shivali Parab, is based on a unique ancient ritual called Gavpalan, usually practised in Konkan.

Talking about the film's unique subject, Warang told Cinestaan, "Because of COVID-19, the whole world has gone through some kind of lockdown in the past last two years but in the coastal belt of the Konkan in Maharashtra, some villages have been following this ancient tradition called Gavapalan for many years where locals vacate the village for three nights and stay outdoors, outside its periphery. This tradition has been happening every three years for the past eight centuries. My film is about two lovers who get caught up in this tradition and how it affects their love story."

The film, which was wrapped up three days ago, was shot in 25 days. "We shot the film in my village, Kalsuli, which is in Kudal taluka. Initially, we were planning to complete the shoot in 20 to 22 days, but because of heavy rains, the shoot got delayed. Thankfully apart from the delay, everything else went quite smoothly," the filmmaker said.

Speaking about casting completely new faces, Warang said, "It was a conscious decision. I wanted to cast actors who are familiar with the lifestyle of these villagers. Vinayak has been working with me for many years. He had acted in a few of my plays. And I have known Shivali for many years; she is a fantastic actress." Apart from these two, we have 120 artistes in supporting and junior-artist roles".

Dhumshaan has been produced under the banner of Oxygen Films. The makers are planning to release the film in January 2022.