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Film exposing child trafficking menace set to hit big screen
Many artistes and musicians come from Apna UP
National award winning director Sachin Gupta’s upcoming film ‘Pakhi’ highlights the problem of child trafficking and minor girls being forced to work in brothels.
“The film’s title means bird and also freedom. It’s a sad truth that even after 73 years of Independence, small girls are trafficked and sold in brothel and are given injections so that they attain puberty early. When I thought on making a film and highlight this problem, we did a survey of red-light areas in Mumbai and Delhi and talked to many NGOs before finalising the script,” says the Delhi-based filmmaker on his visit to Lucknow with his team.
His parents hail from Hapur in Uttar Pradesh.
Based on real incidents, the film revolves around a 10-yearold girl Pihu who is trafficked to marry a 60-year-old man. Shot in Delhi, NCR and Mumbai, the film has a lot of actors and musicians from UP.
“The film’s female lead Pakhi, played by Kanpur-girl Anamika Shukla, falls in the trap. She plays a small-town UP girl who lands in a brothel after her boyfriend ditches her. Parallel lead Anmol Goswami of Agra, plays an earthquake victim Maulik in the film,” says Gupta. It also stars Sumeet Kant Kaul who plays the antagonist Bali.
Pakhi has three songs which have been penned by Shayra Apoorv, a Lucknowite. “Its music is by Shivang Mathur who also hails from Lucknow. Both are making film debut in the film. Two songs have been sung by local girl Prateeksha Srivastava,” he adds.
Talking to HT City, Anamika said, “I was born in Barmer but when I was 3 we shifted to our hometown Kanpur. I studied there till graduation and then came to Amity University in Lucknow for MSc Biotech. Acting was always in my mind and when I went to Delhi for internship. I started modeling and acting followed.”
She has done a role in an upcoming film Ghalib and will be seen in Manshukh Chaturvedi Ki Atam Katha. Anamika will also be seen playing a lady cop in Rohit Shetty’s Simba.
Sachin has earlier made films ‘Paranthe Wali Gali’ and ‘Thoda Lutf Thoda Ishq’ besides helming 18 plays. He received the national award ‘Natya Bhushan’ for contribution to theatre. He has also written the story and screenplay of the film.
The film’s female lead Pakhi, played by Kanpurgirl Anamika Shukla, falls in the trap. She plays a smalltown UP girl who lands in a brothel after her boyfriend ditches her SACHIN GUPTA DIRECTOR