In Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga (2022), a sarpanch named Gangaram (Pankaj Tripathi), volunteers to give up his life to a tiger so his village benefits upon his death. The village is situated along a tiger reserve, and the government has promised Rs10 lakh to families of the wild cats' victims as compensation.
Gangaram’s wife (Sayani Gupta) is entirely against the idea but cannot dissuade her spouse.
When Gangaram goes to the forest and prepares to meet his fate, he ends up running into a poacher, Jim, played by Neeraj Kabi, and his whole plan ends up being derailed. Gangaram is dragged to court, suspected of being a poacher himself, and his case becomes viral, grabbing the interest of those around the country.
The upcoming film has been inspired by true events and tells the story of many villages and their residents who likely are plagued by the same issues of man versus animal conflict.
Presenting the trailer, writer-director Srijit Mukherji said, “Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga has been a dream project for years. After I read about the real-life incidents in 2017, I immediately wrote the story and registered it and was wanting to make it for the longest time. So finally after five years, the dream comes true and we bring you the story of Gangaram on the big screen.”
Produced by T-Series and Reliance Entertainment, along with Match Cut Productions, Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga is due to be released theatrically on 24 June.
Watch the trailer below and let us know if you are keen to see the film.