Director Sree Varun first met Daya Bai during a film festival held in Thiruvananthapuram. But, little did he know that he would, one day make a movie on her life. "When I first met her,I didn't know her that well. But, the more I came to know about her, I knew a biopic on her life had to be made. That's how I decided to make this my debut," says Sree Varun.
But, it wasn't a cakewalk. Daya Bai was adamant that it had to be realistic, and no creative liberties could be used. So, the team went on a two-year-long extensive research on her life. Many actors were auditioned and finally, Bidita Bag was selected for the role. "She resembles Daya Bai a lot. Then, Bidita Bag is a great actor. With her latest movie Babumoshai Bandookbaaz doing well, she is a name to be reckoned," says Sree Varun.The team, which has wrapped up the shoot of the movie, had to undergo quite a lot of hardships to get her life captured.
"Daya Bai spent most of her life in the interiors of Madhya Pradesh. So, we wanted to shoot it on the same locations. The whole crew moved to Chhindwara District in Madhya Pradesh. But, it is a tribal area and we had no facilities. In fact, one has to thank Bidita for giving her best performance amidst all the inconveniences. She braved the rough weather and lack of everything, including proper sanitation facilities, to perform as Daya Bai," says Sree Varun.
The movie, which is in its post-production stage, will hit the screens next February.Daya Bai, a bilingual made in Hindi and English, is being produced under the banner of Vettam Movies by Shyse Eppan and Sonia Baby.