'Ajey: The Untold Story of a Monk' writer speaks up on relationship of cinema, society

Mumbai, Sep 15 (IANS) Writer Dilip Bachchan Jha, who is known for the sports biopic ‘M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story’, has penned the script for ‘Ajey: The Untold Story of a Monk’. The writer opined on cinema and society intertwining together, and their symbiotic relationship.

Reflecting on the same, he said in a statement as per his team, “Cinema is just a reflection of the society and the times we live in. Any mature society and its cinema relies on its leaders and influencers to inspire the audience. For a country like ours, which is so populous, young, and growing at such a fast pace, there will be more and more need for such inspirational stories to be told and to be told in a way that young people relate with.”

‘Ajey: The Untold Story of a Monk’ is inspired by Shantanu Gupta’s bestselling book ‘The Monk Who Became Chief Minister’, and the rise of Yogi Adityanath, from a humble boy in Uttarakhand to a prominent political figure.

As part of his research, the writer travelled extensively across Uttarakhand to locations central to Yogi Adityanath’s formative years.

He further mentioned, “I visited his birthplace Panchur, as well as Rishikesh and Kotdwar where he did his college studies. There are quite a few incidents of his life that are amazing and very emotional too. Like how he was so close to his family and friends before he became a Yogi, he had the same aspirations as any middle-class child. And then suddenly to get detached from all this to serve society. I kept wondering what kind of emotional journey he must have gone through, and what his family must have felt”.

The film stars Anant Joshi as Yogi Adityanath, alongside veteran actor Paresh Rawal in a pivotal role.

“From a very early age he fought for the safety and rights of women. There is one particular incident where he fought against goons in his college for the same. Books on personalities have all the information and incidents. But they often lack the drama of storytelling and sometimes miss the emotional side of the personality. As a screenwriter, it’s important to bring in the human side into the story for it to be appealing and relatable to the audience. That, I think, was one of the biggest challenges”, he added.

‘Ajey: The Untold Story of a Monk’ is set to release in cinemas on September 19, 2025.

--IANS

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