HYDERABAD: The disclaimer before every movie, “All characters in the film are fictional and resemblance to the character is sheer coincidence….” automatically veers us in to a fictional zone and we disengage ourselves from reality. But while watching biopics, the mood of the audience changes. When you know something is real, the emotions it brings out is on a different scale altogether.
Movies like Mary Kom, Bhag Milkha Bhaag, MS Dhoni and Dangal are proof enough that biopics work. The next life story that is all set to give us a newer perspective to life and struggle is Poorna. Yes, it is about Poorna Malavath, the girl, who conquered the Everest at the age of 13 with determination in heart and grit in mind.
From the plains of Telangana to the peak of Everest, her journey is about a tribal girl from a remote village to someone who created history.
The queen of world’s tallest peak managed to climb the heights of Rahul Bose’s attention too, for he is making his comeback as a director, producer and actor with this film.
Unlike other biopics, where established stars donned the real life characters, the role of Poorna is going have a new face - Aditi Inamdar.
A Hyderabadi girl with Kannada and Marathi background, Aditi is a class nine student from Sri Aurobindo International School. “I was into theatre arts in fifth, sixth and seventh standard. It was a theatre art teacher, who recommended my name for the auditions.
I was the 110th girl to give the audition. I got a call from them and I was asked to meet Rahul Bose at Taj Krishna. He took my audition again and after 10 days, my mom got a mail saying I was selected. During November 2015, I was trained in dialogue delivery and rock climbing,” she recalls with joy.
Aditi was taken to Bhongir for rock climbing training. Neither the heat nor the struggle of climbing the rock deterred her confidence. “I was initially skeptical but it was my director Rahul Bose, who counselled me. He used to take me for long walks and motivate me,” she informs.
The shooting began in December 2015 and completed in May 2016. Neither the cast and crew nor her parents made her miss her school. Her teachers too helped her by staying back after school hours and ensure she makes up for missed classes. “My marks did drop in between but I managed to score reasonably well in my annual exams,” she admits.
Aditi met Poorna and couldn’t be in more awe of her. Aditi says she gets inspired when Poorna talks about empowering girls and making girls know their potential. “She is like a sister to me. She advises me to eat more and improve my appetite.
We share our experiences with a lot of things in life. We discuss about our school and how it functions. She often tells me that the movie is no different from her real life story and that statement makes me feel happy,” she smiles. The shooting took place at Pakala Village of Nizamabad, which is Poorna’s home town, Bhongir, Darjeeling, Sikkim, Mumbai, LB Stadium in Hyderabad and Nepal.
“We went to a lot of cold areas for shoot. They used to give me one day to get accustomed to the place. It was -17 degrees at Lachung. The mountain climbing costume kept me warm most of the times. That costume can keep us warm even in -50 degrees. There were times, I used to sweat in that costume,” Aditi reveals.
Her diet included two eggs, inclusion of vegetables and fruits and half litre milk every day. “After every shot, my spot boy used to feed me something healthy and nutritious. I was given proper care,” she laughs.
Rahul Bose is playing the character of Praveen Kumar, the IPS officer, who redefined social welfare school system and empowered women. He was the man who spotted the talent in Poorna Malavath and encouraged her to climb the Everest. Aditi has lot of fond memories from the shoot and she says she will cherish it for life.
“There was a scene where I had to cry. Rahul sir used to tell some emotional stories that would move me into tears and I would do the crying scene effortlessly. He used to talk about my family. I was scared of water. There is a scene, where I had to act like I was drowning.
He took me to hot water pool at Taj Krishna and made me practice. He took the fear of water out of me. He was as encouraging as Praveen sir was to Poorna in real life,” she narrates with gratitude.
“In our school, we have to choose our career stream by ninth standard itself. I have chosen math, economics and commerce. I want to pursue law or fashion designing. Acting is so far the last option,” she describes about her future.
Talking about the present, Aditi is currently prepping up for her exams and also excited about her film, which is releasing on March 31. The film is being specially screened at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where Rahul, Aditi and Poorna’s entire team will watch along with President Pranab Mukerjee. There will also be screenings taking place at Mumbai and Hyderabad.
“I am going to watch the film many times with all my loved ones. I am eagerly looking forward to see myself on the big screen,” Aditi concludes.