After a long break, a new bollywood movie came out on Friday, released on OTT platform Zee5. Vikrant Massey and Kriti Kharbanda starrer 14 Phere premiered as a social comedy drama and provided something new to watch for the movie lovers. However, the movie carried something more important for the residents of power city as the screenplay of the movie has been written by a 32-year-old young man from Ramsagarpara, Korba. The boy who grew up playing in the twisting lanes of different localities of the city has now grown up to be an inspiration for all those who carry a burning passion of carving a niche for themselves in unconventional careers.

 

Manoj Kalwani, son of a ration shop owner Kanhaiya Lal Kalwani, is the youngest of the 5 siblings and grew up just like normal children from a common middle class family. His close friends remember him as a movie bug from childhood. Having studied at Saraswati Shishu Mandir, Sitamani, Manoj was an average student in his early years, but surprised everyone by securing the first rank in the district in 10th board exams. Talking to ‘The Hitavada’, Manoj recalls his journey as a path of discretion and determination. He says that even though the cinematic field is viewed as an unreachable terrain for people from small towns, he found that talent and ingenuity are always welcomed and respected here. After completing his Bachelor’s degree in Arts, Manoj set off to chase his dreams of living in Mumbai and started with a small job to manage his everyday expenses.

 

He found the first foot-hold in the form of AIB First Draft, in year 2016, which called out to writers from across the nation with a promise of turning their story into a movie, if selected. Manoj says that getting selection as one of the 8 finalists was like a dream turned into reality. However, the pandemic brought everything to a standstill and the project was far from progressing any further. The writer recalls this period as one clouded with apprehension and uncertainty, but gradually, as the lockdown lifted, his script was approved by Zee5 and the sun began shining once again. When asked about the treatment he received in the glamour industry, Manoj denied all assumptions of discrimination against people from lesser-known cities or states. He said that talent is valued above all and fresh ideas are welcomed in the industry. The OTT platforms, in particular, are quite keen to stay in touch with reality rather than going for the larger than life sets and far-fetched dialogues. He credited his seniors and colleagues for his smooth transition in the industry and said that people were quite friendly and down to earth, with no arrogance and tantrums.

 

Expressing his views on the current Nepotism debate, he said that every child across the world is benefitted from his parents’ resources and connections. However, this favour can only lead you so far and finally your success depends on your talent, hard work and the ability to bend yourself to the requirements of the job. Talking about the script, Manoj said that the story talks about serious issues such as dowry and honour killing, but rather than taking a grotesque angle the movie deals with them comically. He added that the modern audience is aware enough of the gruesome results of orthodox traditions and the movie offers an alternate angle of exploring these social evils in a light-hearted manner. The reviews so far have been a mix of criticism and applause, helping him to grow with each succeeding comment.