Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui is perfect for the role in "Manjhi-The Mountain Man", director Ketan Mehta said while speaking on the hardship the film crew had to endure during the shooting.
Apart from his good acting skills, Mehta chose Nawazuddin for the role of Dashrath Manjhi, for other reasons. "After I wrote the script, Nawazuddin came to my mind. He is a brilliant actor and has the correct body type of Manjhi. The moment I met him, I realised he was the right guy to do the role. He stood out even in small bit roles. He had a substantial role In 'Kahaani', for which, he worked hard and was incredible. The intensity in his eyes was unmissable," Bollywoodlife quoted the director.
Manjhi will be Nawazuddin Siddiqui's first appearance as a solo lead in a movie.
Ketan Mehta also talked about the difficulties the crew had to face during the shooting. "When we went there and saw the mountain, we realised it was a character in itself. When you see the mountain, you appreciate what he really broke. So, we decided that we will go and shoot on the original location. It was in a very remote, backward region where there was no infrastructure, no facility," said the director.
"We had to stay at Bodh Gaya and the entire unit used to wake up at three in the morning, travel one-and-a-half hour to reach the location and then climb the mountain to start shooting. It was one of the most difficult film shootings of our lives," he added.
"Manjhi-The Mountain Man" is based on the life of a poor man in Bihar who curved a path through a mountain single-handedly, using just a hammer and a chisel. The film also features Radhika Apte as Nawazuddin's wife and is slated to be released on 21 August.
