A HEART-WARMING Bollywood movie of a child’s bond with his father that is winning rave reviews globally was partly conceptualised and written in Bahrain.
Director of Toolsidas Junior, Mridul Toolsidass, cannot stop praising the kingdom’s humble people and tranquil atmosphere, which, according to him, ‘influenced and inspired’ the making of the film.
It was released on Sony Max on May 21 and on Netflix on May 23 and has been trending among top 10 in 14 countries. Produced by Oscar-nominated Ashutosh Gowariker, the movie has been leading the charts in the children’s category as well.
“The film was in my mind for the last nine years and I have to admit that a large part of it took shape in Bahrain,” Mr Toolsidass, 44, told the GDN, from Mumbai, India where he is currently based.
“I would visit my family members in Bahrain whenever I got a chance. My brother, who works there as a banker, would drop me at coffee shops in Manama or Saar before going to work. I would sit there, in the heart of the capital, taking in the vibrant atmosphere Bahrain has to offer. Most of the film’s script was written there.”
According to him, Bahrain and its people have a unique charm.
“The country has a lovely vibe to it, I found it very peaceful and the people very humble,” Mr Toolsidas said.
“There is this sound of life that pervades this place, a great balance of noise and quietness that not many spaces can replicate.”
He explained how the ‘humble vibe’ naturally seeped into his writing.
“I recall a major point of inspiration when my brother took me to a snooker club in Bahrain,” Mr Toolsidass added.
“It was a beautiful place and I got to play with some of the top players in the country. I also played with my father, who played a pivotal role in the writing of the film.
“That influence would make it to the film as there is a strong Bahrain connection in the story, however, I want to let the viewers explore it on their own.”
Originally played among the British Army Officers stationed in India, ‘snooker’ had it rules drafted officially in 1882. The game, a variance of billiards, is played on a rectangular table with six pockets using a cue stick. The player who succeeds by hitting the white ball to dance and strike the myriad of coloured cue balls in the table in a specific order to maximise their own score wins the ‘frame’, and the winner of the most frames wins the match.
In Toolsidas Junior, the game serves as the main plot and the backdrop where conflicts between characters emerge and develop.
“The movie is set in the Indian city of Kolkata and the story follows the 13-year-old Midi Toolsidas, played by Varun Buddhadev, as he attempts to defy all odds to put his father’s name up on the snooker winner board,” said Mr Toolsidass.
“The story is very personal to me as it was inspired by true events in my life.”
Unfortunately, both his father, Mahendra Toolsidass, and the actor playing the role, Rajiv Kapoor, died this year.
“However, they both got a chance to experience the movie and its beautifully woven love letter – of a child taking on his father’s mantle, of a child’s love for the father who raised him,” he said.
The Hindi language sports drama also stars Sanjay Dutt and Dilip Tahil in major roles.
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