He is known for his grip on urban themes and has won three National Awards for his films Chandni Bar, Page 3 and Traffic Signal. But before he goes to New Delhi to receive his third National Award on September 2, he has made a commitment that brings out his sensitivity towards rural issues too.

Madhur Bhandarkar has decided to donate his award money of Rs 2.5 lakh to Kamla Kashinath Waghmare, Sangita Prakash Darne and Sugandha Shyamrao Kannake, widows of Vidarbha farmers who committed suicide due to agrarian distress. Contributing Rs 50,000 from his own pocket, he would be handing over cheques for Rs 1 lakh each to them at a simple ceremony here on August 6.

“I have been hearing and reading a lot about the farm crisis. As one involved in making films over social themes, I thought it would be good if I could provide some of them with the financial leverage they so badly need in the face of the kind of grave crisis they are in. So, when the national award was declared, I decided to take the call for the noble cause,” Bhandarkar told The Indian Express in an interview.

Asked how a typically urban filmmaker like him thought of addressing the rural distress, he said, “I may have made films based on urban themes, but I do keep track of everything happening around me, including issues of rural India as well.”

But how about making a film on rural crises like the farm distress? “If I get a good theme, I would certainly like to work on it,” he said.

... contd.