Sanjiv Jaiswal: I may scrap my series on Baba Saheb without Vikram Gokhale sir

Shudra: The Rising and Quota director Sanjiv Jaiswal will have to put his ambitious web-series Ambedkar the Legend on hold after the unforeseen demise of veteran actor Vikram Gokhale, on November 26. As the series had Gokhale playing the titular role, Jaiswal says that he may have to shelve the project even after filming its two episodes.

“I believe, I will have to scrap the project as without Vikramji, who played the main character (BR Ambedkar), it seems impossible. Or I’ll have start all over again and that surely is a difficult call! Vikramji had shot for Mumbai leg approximately two episodes for us, last year. We were supposed to create a set in Lucknow to shoot the remaining part. Last, I shot with him for my documentary slated for Baba Saheb’s death anniversary (December 6) in my Mumbai office,” tells the Lucknowite and co-producer of films like Fareb and Anwar.

“My first project with Vikram sir was Pranam in Lucknow where he played a professor who gets trapped in the system and changes the course of protagonist’s (Rajeev Khandelwal) life. When I conceptualized and narrated him my script on Baba Saheb, he was very excited and we started working on it,” he tells.

Thereafter he fell ill. “He developed a problem during his leg injury which turned big and since then he started having recurring health issues. In between, he did some shoots including his own Marathi film and we connected several times but his health did not permit him to shoot much. He was very excited for the project but it couldn’t happen. Last, I spoke to him was in March this year.”