India Lockdown: Madhur Bhandarkar's film on COVID-19 pandemic to release on Dec 2

ZEE5 on Tuesday announced its latest original film ‘India Lockdown’. After the success of the comedy-drama 'Babli Bouncer’, national award-winning director Madhur Bhandarkar will be headlining the hard-hitting film.

Inspired by true events, ‘India Lockdown’ depicts four parallel stories and the repercussions of the pandemic on the people of India. Produced by Dr. Jayantilal Gada of PEN Studios, Madhur Bhandarkar’s Bhandarkar Entertainment and Pranav Jain’s P J Motions Pictures, ‘India Lockdown’ is the first Indian feature film on COVID-19 pandemic.

The movie stars Shweta Basu Prasad, Aahana Kumra, Prateik Babbar, Sai Tamhankar and Prakash Belawadi in key roles. It will release on December 2.

Written by Amit Joshi and Aradhana Sah with Madhur Bhandarkar, ‘India Lockdown’ explores the lives of disparate characters who are catapulted into an unforeseen dramatic situation instigated by the lockdown due to the corona pandemic.

The four parallel stories explored are that of a father-daughter duo who are stuck in different cities during a crucial high point in the daughter’s life; a sex worker and the hardships she goes through in her personal and professional life due to the lockdown, a migrant worker who barely manages to provide bread and butter for his family and an airhostess who for the first time has some downtime compelling her to introspect.

Director Madhur Bhandarkar said, “Lockdown was a tough phase for many as people struggled to make ends meet and that gave seed to a thought to make a film on people affected by the lockdown. ‘India Lockdown’ is a product of my observations, and it depicts raw stories of real people across various walks of life. This is a film that will resonate with many in some or the other way and I am glad that it will release on ZEE5 and reach out to so many people across the world”.

Dr. Jayantilal Gada, Chairman and MD of Pen Studios said, "We at Pen Studios have always associated with great content and talented directors. India Lockdown is just that. It has a very relevant story, and everyone shall identify with it in one way or another as no one is a stranger to pandemic. Madhur Bhandarkar is a master storyteller, and we are happy to associate with him and such content driven cinema."

Manish Kalra, Chief Business Officer, ZEE5 India, said, "We are delighted to announce our upcoming original film ‘India Lockdown’. It is an exciting collaboration with Madhur Bhandakar who knows and understands the pulse of the viewers and has a talent to tell stories inspired by true events. This film narrates stories of ordinary people from across India and what they went through in the lockdown imposed due to the corona pandemic. We at ZEE5 believe in and always strive to bring forth path breaking content which is relatable yet engaging and this film truly encapsulates all that and more."