It looks like making a film that highlights the issues of open defecation in rural India has worked well for the team of Toilet-Ek Prem Katha.
Inspired by the movie, OP Dhankar, Haryana development and panchayats minister, issued directions on Wednesday (August 16) that all village heads (sarpanches and panches) must watch Akshay Kumar's Toilet-Ek Prem Katha.
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A special show has been arranged for sarpanches and panches in their respective districts, the Indian Express reported. The decision was taken since the BJP Government in the state aims to declare all villages open defecation free (ODF) by September. The process of making rural areas open defecation free is currently underway.
"While rural areas will be made ODF by June 23, urban areas will get this status by September 25. In total, 6,132 gram panchayats have become ODF in Haryana while 200 to 300 panchayats would be made ODF by next month,'' Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said.
Toilet-Ek Prem Katha is a satirical comedy-drama and supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. The Shree Narayan Singh directorial is inspired by true events when 19-year-old Priyanka Bharti took a stand and decided to walk out of her in-laws' house as they didn't have a toilet.
The movie, also starring Bhumi Pednekar, has crossed the Rs 80 crore mark at the domestic box office in just five days of its release.