The 63-year-old actor, whose last directorial venture was ‘Prahaar: The final Attack’ in 1991, said the film will also focus on Baba’s son and social worker Prakash.
“I am making a film on Baba Amte. It would be a trilingual release ? English, Hindi and Marathi. I will be playing the lead role. Apart from Baba, the film will focus on Prakash’s character as well. I am playing both the roles,” Patekar told PTI in an interview on the sidelines of the ongoing International Film Festival of India (IFFI) here.
One of the country’s most respected social leaders, Baba Amte, who died in 2008, devoted his life to the care and rehabilitation of leprosy patients.
The national-award-winning actor, whose film ‘Dr Prakash Baba Amte: The Real Hero’ in which he plays the protagonist, is running houseful in theatres even in its seventh week, said he was actually approached for playing Baba Amte in his latest Marathi release, but he rejected the role.
“I was actually offered the role of Baba Amte in ‘Dr Prakash Baba Amte…’, but I refused to play the role because I was already researching for my film on him. So, my director (Samruddhi Porey) offered me the role of Prakash and I did it after preparing for two months for it,” he said.
Patekar said his film on Baba Amte is currently in scripting stage and he is planning to start shooting by early next year.
“There is so much literature on Baba Amte and when I am making a biopic on him, I have to be very careful in choosing my content. Baba had quite an eventful life and focusing those relevant parts are my priority,” he said.
Patekar has to be muscular to play the role of Baba Amte, who was a trained wrestler.
“I have to work on my body too for the film. I am sure that I would be beefed up in a few months. I have a very normal lifestyle and it won’t be a problem to bring about changes in my body,” he said.
The actor, who is also doing commercially viable films in Bollywood, said he is part of such projects because it provides him the requisite funds for his directorial ventures that deal with socially-relevant issues.
“I know very clearly that the kind of film I made or I am in the process of making are not commercially viable films.
So, in order to earn money, I do films like ‘Welcome Back’.
These films give me popularity as they are watched by masses.
I need popularity for my films,” he said.