Jyoti Kumari Paswan, the teen who rode a bicycle, carrying her injured father from Delhi to their village in Bihar, is set to star in a film being made on her. The fifteen-year-old will play herself in the film titled Atmanirbhar (self-reliant). Jyoti cycled 1,200 km with her injured father from Gurgaon to her village in Darbhanga of Bihar in May under lockdown. "Bahut achha lag raha hai (I feel very good)," Jyoti told PTI when asked about signing up for the film.
As per a report by The Tribune India, this biopic is being made by Wemakefilmz in Hindi, English, Maithili (local Bihari dialect), and will be dubbed into other languages. After brainstorming the idea, it has now been decided that the film will show the entire journey
Jyoti's father had lost his employment, suffered a leg injury from an accident, and was struggling financially. The father-daughter duo first attempted to go home by bus but when enquired they were unable to pay Rs 6,000 for the fare.
What You Should Know
- 15-year-old girl cycled from Gurugram to Bihar with her injured father as a pillion rider.
- Now, Jyoti Kumari will play herself in the film titled Atmanirbhar.
- Jyoti's father had lost his employment and suffered from a leg-injury.
- With not enough money for transportation, the father-daughter duo bought a cycle and the later rode it.
Speaking about her journey, Jyoti said, “The journey has changed my entire life. When I reached home, I came to know I had become a hero on the internet and people outside India also knew my name. I have no special talent but did what a daughter would do for her father. I am feeling very good about being signed for a movie.”
For the international audience, the film will be screened with the title ‘A Journey of a Migrant’, and it will have subtitles in 20 languages.
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The project is expected to go on the floors in August, according to Shine Krishna, the director of the film. While Jyoti will star in the project, it will be a more fictionalised version of the events and not a documentary. “It will be more fictionalised by including various other incidents," Krishna told PTI.
Injured father and a seven-day bicycle journey
Jyoti said her father, Mohan Paswan, is an e-rickshaw driver. When the lockdown got further extended back in the month of May, the teenager decided to take her him home on a bicycle as they were unable to pay Rs 6,000 for the bus fare. With whatever money they had, she bought a cycle and rode it with her father as pillion, who was unable to walk properly after the knee surgery, all the way from Delhi to Darbhanga.
“Suddenly, the lockdown was announced and we finished all our savings. My father could not earn for the next few months so he could not live here. There was no transport but I had to take him back even if on my shoulders. We pooled all our money and bought a cycle from another migrant and left on an unpredictable journey. There were days when we had only water and no food but the urgency to get back home got me going. I was happy to get back but I had no idea I would ever be this celebrated. Migrants like us show such endurance take such risks all our lives. This is our fate,” says Jyoti.
In her village, Jyoti would regularly cycle five km to reach her school. This time she cycled for long hours, sleeping for only two to three hours, on the seven-day journey to reach home on May 16.
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Praising her courageous move, the District Magistrate of Darbhanga has enrolled her in class nine at the Pindaruch High School. She was also offered a trial chance from the Cycling Federation of India as a trainee at the National Cycling Academy in New Delhi, but the determined girl refused to say that she wants to study to get a steady job.
Feature Image Credit: Indian Express
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