Gaya/Patna: The shooting of Ardhanayak in Manpur, Gaya, has turned into a local attraction, with crowds gathering around the specially created village set to catch glimpses of the film’s cast.
Starring Sneha Ullal, Pushyamitra, Anup Kumar Singh of Bhabiji Ghar Par Hain fame and Rajesh Kumar, the film is produced by D. Aliya and directed by Anjani Kumar.
Set against the backdrop of rural Bihar in the 1950s, Ardhanayak explores themes including the decline of folk arts and the growing challenge of water scarcity.
A Village From 1950s Bihar
A village set has been constructed in Gaya to recreate the rural setting in which the story unfolds.
The shoot has given local residents an opportunity to see the filmmaking process up close, while the presence of the actors has added to the attraction around the location.
Sneha Ullal plays Lalmuniya in the film. During the shoot, she was seen spending time with baby goats on the village set, sitting beside them and interacting with them affectionately.
“I sat down with the baby goats as soon as I saw them,” Ullal said, describing the people of Gaya as lovely and gentle-natured. She added that she enjoyed spending time with them and jokingly suggested that the locals should even give names to the baby goats.
Folk Arts And Water Crisis At The Core
The film’s story is rooted in rural Bihar and places folk traditions at the centre of its narrative while also addressing the issue of water scarcity.
Writer Shaibal, known for films including Damul and Mrityudand, has returned to active filmmaking with Ardhanayak at the age of 80.
Shaibal said the film seeks to take Bihari cinema to a global audience. He also emphasised that Bihar has no shortage of talent and said the film’s subject is closely connected to the state’s folk arts and its water crisis.
Sneha Ullal’s ‘Bihar Ki Chhori’ Look
The connection between the film and Bihar has also made its way onto social media.
During the shoot, Ullal shared an Instagram story showing herself dressed as a Bihari woman, wearing a saree and a bindi. She captioned the picture “Bihar ki Chhori”, or “Girl from Bihar”.
The look offered a glimpse of her on-screen appearance and further highlighted the film’s rural Bihar setting.
From Lucky To Gaya
Ullal made her Bollywood debut in 2005 with Lucky: No Time for Love, opposite Salman Khan. She played Lucky Negi in the romantic drama directed by Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru.
Although the film was a commercial failure, Ullal attracted considerable attention around its release, including discussion of her resemblance to Aishwarya Rai Bachchan.
Nearly two decades later, she is now shooting in Gaya for a film whose story takes her into a very different cinematic landscape — rural Bihar of the 1950s, where folk traditions, village life and the struggle for water form the backdrop.
