Filmmaker Ravindra Gautam, popularly known for Maharani Season 2 and Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami, is set to entertain audiences with his upcoming film, Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi. The film stars Anant Joshi as Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath, alongside Paresh Rawal and Dinesh Lal Yadav in key roles.

Inspired by The Monk Who Became Chief Minister by Shantanu Gupta, the film will release in theatres on September 19. In an exclusive conversation with Hindustan Times, Ravindra Gautam spoke about what inspired him to make a film on CM Yogi Adityanath and revealed how everyone on set stopped eating non-vegetarian food during the shoot.

Ravindra Gautam on what inspired him to make a biopic on CM Yogi Adityanath

Speaking about his inspiration for making the biopic, Ravindra said, “To me, he looked like a very apt character. I read the book The Monk Who Became Chief Minister by Shantanu Gupta, and he has an amazing journey. A 22-year-old boy becoming a sanyasi, and then at 26 becoming the youngest Member of Parliament—it’s an inspiring journey to capture on screen. This idea was actually god-sent. I didn’t go looking for it; it came to me through my producers. They are from the US, where Yogi Adityanath has a huge fan following. They acquired the rights to the book and came all the way to India to make a film on it. That’s how they contacted me. I had already read the book and found him quite a fascinating and inspirational person to make a film on.”

Ravindra explained how challenging it is to make a film on a real person, “That person is real and you can’t misrepresent him in any way, especially when the stature of the person is so huge. So there were challenges in properly depicting his life and situations. That’s why we spent a lot of time brainstorming while writing the script. We went to his home village in Uttarakhand, spoke to his family and friends, and watched many videos of him. Though it’s not a political film but his personal journey, we studied a lot of political videos to understand him as a person, because I didn’t get a chance to meet him.”

On his findings during research, Ravindra said, “One of the most interesting things I discovered was that while people see him as a very strong-headed person, behind that, there’s a deeply emotional and sensitive man. His sensitivity towards the common man is what helped him wipe out the mafia.”

Praising the CM’s simplicity, he added, “The writers met his sister, who still leads a very simple life. She runs a small flower shop outside a temple. We are used to seeing politicians whose net worth multiplies once they become MPs or MLAs, but here I see a man whose family remains the same as when he left them—working hard and independent. Yogi ji still lives in a very small 10×12 room, which has only a dari, a takht, and four simple clothes. The selflessness in him made me a fan.”

Ravindra Gautam on film’s authenticity

Ravindra insisted the film is authentic, with only a few dramatised moments for cinematic effect, “We have tried to keep it as real as possible. When films like this come out, people often label them as propaganda without even watching them. That is wrong. A film should be judged on its own merit. It’s a family drama because his journey is deeply emotional and spiritual. For his mother, it was her sacrifice that gave us Yogi ji.”

Ravindra talks about CBFC’s bizarre cuts

On CBFC asking for 29 cuts, which were later overturned by the high court, Ravindra admitted that he believes CBFC gives cuts just for the sake of it and said, “Till now, I don’t know why CBFC objected to the film. The fact that the high court had to watch the film itself speaks volumes. They cleared it without a single cut, while CBFC asked for 29 cuts and the reviewing body 21 cuts, bizarre ones at that. I don’t know what was happening. The high court is a judicial authority with much greater knowledge of what is good for the country.”

Reason behind casting Anant Joshi

On casting Anant Joshi, Ravindra shared, “We auditioned many actors, but I wanted someone true to his heart and sensitive. A sensitive person naturally conveys anger against injustice, and audiences can see that truth. I found everything in Anant, while talking to him and auditioning him.”

The trailer features Anant shaving his head to become a monk. Ravindra revealed the scene was shot live, “He did it for real, and that was non-negotiable. I told whoever does the role must shave their head on camera. Anant didn’t hesitate, because when you’re playing such a big character, any honest actor would do that. It’s honesty to the craft.”

On working with Paresh Rawal

Reflecting on his experience with Paresh Rawal, Ravindra said, “It was a learning experience. He is such a senior actor, yet so humble and dedicated. I learnt a lot from him. He would always wear his beard and wig, and refused to take them off even at lunch to save time for everyone. We shot in winter, but he never complained. He always arrived on time, ready with his make-up, and never threw tantrums. a trait very unlikely these days.”

On the spiritual atmosphere on set, Ravindra recalled, “We shot in live locations in Rishikesh and an actual Dharamshala. If the call time was 7, and you arrived at 6, there would already be aarti, bhajans, and prayers by the Ganga. It created such calmness that it helped my film. Voluntarily, no one ate non-veg during the shoot—not even outside.”