Bhumi Pednekar shared the new promo of her upcoming film Saand Ki Aankh on social media today. Bhumi Pednekar will be seen playing a woman in the 60s in Anurag Kashyap’s film for which she had to wear prosthetic makeup.
It's a story as filmy as it can get. Two women from Baghpat’s Johri village pick up shooting at a local Rifle Club in their 60s, become famous, earn room full of trophies and are now the subject of a Bollywood movie -- "Saand Ki Aankh". In 1999, Chandro, then in her 60s, started shooting by chance when her granddaughter Shefali wanted to learn how to shoot at Johri Rifle Club. Being an all-boys club, Shefali confided in her grandmother and said she was scared to go all alone.
"I told her ‘I’m with you’, no need to get scared,” the 87-year-old recalls, as she lies on the bed with a fracture in her left leg.
At the range when Shefali could not load the pistol, Chandro helped her with the pellets, took her position, set eyes of the prize and it was a perfect 10 - 'Bullseye' or "Saand Ki Aankh" as the term is garnering popularity, courtesy the Diwali release, starring Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu.
The boys and Farooq Pathan, the club coach, were surprised with her skill and suggested she train to become a shooter, which she did.
"I knew I wouldn’t get permission from the house. But when the children encouraged me, I sort of developed a penchant for shooting,”Chandro told PTI in an interview.
Her day would now begin at 4am after she was done with her house chores.
"I'd go into the fields to practice with a jug of water and take aim, fearing whether I’d be caught,” she recalled.
Two weeks later, Prakashi, now 82, followed her sister-in-law to the range.
“She didn’t tell me,” Chandro said with a crinkly smile, adding, “Then I went to the range, along with my granddaughters, Ruby and Preeti. My daughter Seema also joined later on.”
While Seema became the first Indian woman to win a shotgun silver at the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup, Ruby and Preeti are international shooters.
(With PTI Inputs)
