On the occasion of legendary Punjabi poet Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s 88th birthday on July 23, producers Honey Trehan (on extreme right in picture) and Abhishek Chaubey announced that their Macguffin Pictures had acquired all rights for his biopic. It will be directed by Honey Trehan and produced under the banner of Macguffin Pictures.
On working with Meharbaan (son of Shiv Kumar Batalvi; on left in photograph), Honey said, “Bhaji and I got in touch for the first time during Udta Punjab. Abhishek Chaubey, the film’s director, wanted Shiv Batalvi’s song, Ek kudi. He was having a hard time getting this song. That was when Meharbaanji and I first spoke, and later, he graciously permitted the use of the song in the film. That was also the first time I told him about my love and respect for his father.”
Meharbaan said in a statement from Canada, “There have been several people who’ve shown interest in making Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s biopic, and we have been getting these calls for the last 35 years, but somehow, everyone has only been interested in making a film that focuses on the controversies around the poet’s life. And I hadn’t met anyone until now who wanted to make a film on Shiv, the poet and the person. Maybe, that’s why the film hasn’t been made till now.” On Honey Trehan, he said, “Honeyji had called regarding the rights of the song Ek kudi, and at that time, we didn’t discuss the biopic, but I felt that he had genuine emotional depth as a person. I liked his approach, and thought that it would be great if he decided to make a film about my father someday. Though I had waited for the call for a few years, I followed Honeyji’s work during that time and was very impressed with the same. I feel, my connection with him is very emotional, and this movie is destined to happen with us together.”
Honey echoes Meharbaan’s feelings when he remembers how the movie’s discussion unfolded, “We had stayed in touch off and on, and one day, I reached out to him, saying, I wanted to do a film on his father. To my surprise, Meharbaanji told me that he had always had this feeling that I would call him for this some day. I cannot ever forget that moment. I still get goosebumps thinking about this. Next, I found myself in Canada at his house, reliving Shiv Kumar Batalvi with Meharbaan Paaji in the presence of Arun aunty (Mrs. Shiv Kumar Batalvi; in centre in picture). We spent days and weeks together, talking and reading about Shiv, discussing his poetry and his life, and finally, we decided to document all this in a film. It’s all at a very early stage of scripting, and, perhaps, we will have something to share soon. For me, personalities like Jaswant Singh Khalra, Shiv Kumar Batalvi and Amrita Pritam are rare. For any filmmaker, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tell their stories. I think, it’s important for such stories to take their time, and filmmakers should not rush.”
Meherbaan signs off, “I have just one desire, and that is that Shiv Kumar Batalvi should be seen through the light of his work and his life, and his biopic should not be only about controversies surrounding him.”
Shiv Kumar Batalvi (23 July 1936 – 6 May 1973) was an Indian poet, writer, and playwright of the Punjabi language. He was most known for his romantic poetry, noted for its heightened passion, pathos, talk of separation, and lovers’ agony. Due to that, he was also called Birha Da Sultan. He is often referred to as ‘Keats of Punjab’. He became the youngest recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award in 1967, when he won it for his epic verse play based on the ancient legend of Puran Bhagat, Loona (1965), now considered a masterpiece in modern Punjabi literature, and which also created a new genre — of modern Punjabi Kissa. Today, his poetry stands on equal footing with the stalwarts of modern Punjabi poetry, like Mohan Singh and Amrita Pritam, all of whom are popular on both sides of the Indo-Pakistan border.