Restoring the lost glory

Khan in the film

When he set out to adapt Marathi hit Mulshi Pattern (2018) for the Hindi film audience, director Mahesh Manjrekar was certain he wanted a Lavani number. The idea was embedded in his mind ever since he visited Choufula near Pune a few years ago. "Choufula is popular for its Lavani dancers. Approximately, 200 to 300 dancers perform it day in, day out, and earn their livelihood. It saddens me that the once-popular art form is losing its importance today," rues the filmmaker.

De Sousa in the song

Keen to restore the folk dance's lost glory, he knew that the Salman Khan-starrer, Antim, would be the perfect vehicle to bring it back into the mainstream consciousness. Thus was born the special number, Chingari, which sees Waluscha De Sousa try her hand at the traditional song-and-dance form.

Talking about the song that releases tomorrow, the director adds, "I want to revive the dance form through the song. The folk music is considered the pride of Maharashtra. Meeting all the Lavani dancers, who are still passionate about it, was quite an emotional experience." Antim sees Aayush Sharma in the central role of a gangster who locks horns with Khan's honest cop.

Also Read: Mahesh Manjrekar on 'Antim': Was Salman's idea to give the character a turban