'Gour Hari Dastaan' to release on Independence Day eve

"Gour Hari Dastaan - Freedom File", a film based on Odia freedom fighter Gour Hari Das's memoirs, is scheduled to release on August 14, the eve of Independence Day.

Produced by Bindiya and Sachin Khanolkar, the biopic encompasses the past in a stinging modern day satire on free India through the eyes of Gour Hari Das.

Selected at 14 international film festivals, the movie is a tale of two generations locked in a see-saw battle. One praises values, while the other dwells in the dark, with the future of the country at stake, said a statement.

Actor Vinay Pathak, who won the Best Actor Award at the Paris Extravagant India Film Festival for the movie, said: "The demeanour, discipline and resilience of Das were a revelation and it was a challenge to play Das not as an actor who copies a living character but as a flesh-and-blood character."

He calls it the "most satisfying exercise of my career so far as an actor".

Acclaimed actress Konkona Sen Sharma, who essays Laxmi Das in the movie, said her role is that of a conscience-keeper and so, "in trying to maintain a balance between her disbelieving son and disillusioned husband, I had to maintain the perfect poise and pitch".

Director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan finds biopics of living and unsung heroes more challenging to make than those on well known heroes.

"(Gour Hari) Das was a superhero in many ways. His demonstration of patience in the face of political apathy, is a lesson that, unfortunately, might never be learnt by the younger generation," he added.

The film also features Tannishtha Chatterjee, Ranvir Shorey, Asrani, Rajit Kapur, Vipin Sharma, Saurabh Shukla, Vikram Gokhale, Mohan Kapur, Bharat Dabholkar and Siddharth Jadhav among others.