For a better tomorrow

Sheetal

The trailer of Phooli, a movie by actor-director Avinash Dhyani, has created quite a buzz. The director and actor of the film, scheduled to release in cinemas on June 7, were in Chandigarh recently and talked about how it was a poignant tale about child education.

Dhyani has worked in four films till date, three of which were his own directorial projects. As for Phooli, he called it a tribute to his mother. “Had my mother got an opportunity to study, she would have been very successful. She would often say that people had to walk for kilometres to reach school. So, that gave me an idea to pursue a story on this,” he said.

Dhyani also essayed the role of a magician (jaadugar) in the film. Riya Baluni would be seen in the titular role of Phooli, alongside a talented cast, including Suruchi Saklani, Prince Juyal, Rishi Raj Bhatt, Sanjay Agarwal, Vijay Bhatt and Bhagat Singh Ghusain. Dhyani, who has written, acted, composed the music and also directed Phooli, added, “I think the most challenging scene was that of a forest fire. As a blaze actually happened in village Pauri, Uttarakhand, while we were shooting, we were able to capture it. But it was a challenge to safeguard Riya’s well-being.”

Stories of war

Born in a family where many members served in the Army, Dhyani has often used his filmmaking talent for narrating lesser-known stories of war. If Phooli was a tribute to his mother, Dhyani’s father had a role in the making of his 2019 film 72 Hours: Martyr Who Never Died. “He told me the story of rifleman Jaswant Singh Rawat, who fought against the encroaching Chinese army during the 1962 Sino-Indian War,” he said. Dhyani’s next will also be a biographical drama, VC571, on Gabar Singh Negi, a soldier in the British Indian Army who fought during the First World War and a recipient of the Victoria Cross.

Leading lady

The trailer introduced audiences to Phooli, a young girl driven by a fervent desire to pursue her dreams despite facing adversities that hinder her educational journey. And it is the enigmatic jaadugar, who encourages Phooli, guiding her through challenges and inspiring her to excel academically. The film is set in Pauri Garhwal and all the children who acted in it were students of a nearby school, Shri Timli Vidyapeeth. Riya was one lucky girl whom Dhyani deemed fit for the lead role.

Riya shared, “I had a great experience working with sir and enjoyed playing a character that would serve as an inspiration for many. Education is very important and the film tries to highlight the same through the story of Phooli.” Although Riya does not have a similar story as Phooli, there are students who walk for 10 kilometres to reach school. Many have bigger issues such as collecting water from nullahs (aquifiers) in summer, due to water storage in the area. Riya added, “My aim is to become a lawyer. My elder sisters is an assistant in court. She inspires me to become like her. I am lucky that my parents have been supportive throughout the filmmaking process, and I also thank my friends who helped me with homework.”

The songs in Phooli have been crooned by acclaimed artistes like Alka Yagnik, Nakash Aziz, Raja Hasan and Dhruv Kumola, while the lyrics are by Vinay Joshi, Megha Dhyani and Avinash Dhyani.

Had my mother got an opportunity to study, she would have been very successful. She would often say that people had to walk for kilometres to reach school. So, that gave me an idea to pursue a story on this. — Avinash Dhyani

I had a great experience working with sir and enjoyed playing a character that would serve as an inspiration for many. Education is very important and the film tries to highlight the same through the story of Phooli. — Riya Baluni