‘Manihar’ filmmaker Mayank Shekhar to make a documentary headlined by John Abraham

After ‘Manihar’, filmmaker Mayank Shekhar has now signed Bollywood star John Abraham for his upcoming documentary, which will commence shooting next month. Mayank says, “This will be India’s first cinematic documentary highlighting the daily lives of visually-impaired individuals, covering aspects from their education to their time in old age homes.We are extremely excited to have actor John Abraham represent it.”
Speaking about the Sanjeev Kumar Rajput-directed ‘Manihar’, the film features Roshni Rastogi and Badrul Islam in the lead roles. The cast also includes Pankaj Berry, Sunny Thakur, Krishna Bhatt, and Ramesh Goyal in pivotal characters. Discussing his cinematic choices, Mayank says, “I have always been drawn to human interest stories set in the small towns of rural India. ‘Manihar’ revolves around the life of a bangle seller from a small town in Uttar Pradesh. I received positive feedback for the film and several industry seniors sent me encouraging messages. That has fuelled my desire to do even better. Who doesn’t like being appreciated for one’s hard work and efforts?”

Mayank was inspired by several industry professionals to showcase his passion for the cause of blind people through Indian cinema. He recalls, “I am associated with an organisation that supports the visually impaired. During my time there, I have had the fortune of meeting actors, directors, and producers, who inspired me to do something for this cause. So, I chose this as a subject to highlight through film and reach a wide audience. ‘Manihar’ also focused on the lives of visually impaired people, and our next project continues the theme. We are currently developing more such subjects. I believe cinema has the power to create awareness and drive change. My aim is to bring these real-life stories to the forefront and inspire others to take action.”