Director
Honey Trehan
and
Abhishek Chaubey
have teamed up to create a biopic on Punjab’s legendary poet
Shiv Kumar Batalvi
, known for the iconic song “
Ek Kudi
,” featured in
Udta Punjab
.
Speaking about acquiring the rights to make a film on
Batalvi
, director Honey Trehan told ETimes, “I feel blessed to have this opportunity and the honor of having access to Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s life rights to tell his story and probably get to know him a little more.
I’m sure his fans worldwide would love to know him more closely, like me.”
Shiv Batalvi
was renowned for his romantic poetry, noted for its heightened passion, pathos, separation, and lovers’ agony. He was also called “
Birha Da Sultan
” and “the Keats of Punjab.” Honey said, “I grew up listening to his songs and reading his poetry, and the more I read him, the closer I became to him. Most of the time, I have been curious to know the roots of why he thought like that, why he wrote this, what he was going through at that particular time, etc., and his fascinating life, his journey…Perhaps my curiosity and the urge to find Shiv little more than his work have led me to this rare opportunity, and it’s truly an honor for me to make a film on Shiv.”
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Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s son Meharbaan and Honey Trehan connected during the making of Udta Punjab. He said, “Bhaji (Meharbaan) and I got in touch for the first time during Udta Punjab. Abhishek Chaubey really wanted Shiv’s song ‘Ek Kudi’ and was really having a hard time getting this song. He graciously gave permission to use the song in the film. That was also the first time I told him about my love and respect for Shiv.”
Meharbaan said in a statement from Canada, “There have been several people showing an 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 until 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 deep and 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. And though I waited for the call for a few years, I followed the work of Honeyji, and I was very impressed with his work. I feel my connection with him is very emotional, and this movie is destined to happen with us together.”
