The Sanjay Dutt – Mahesh Manjrekar combination is back with PITAAH, which is produced by Avinash Adik. "There have been so many films on maa, chacha, bhatija, mama, bhanja, beta… but not one on pitaah," Mahesh Manjrekar tells me, continuing in the same breath, "That's why I though of making this film. PITAAH is about a father who does everything for his kids and family."

This rural-based subject had been close to Manjrekar's heart. That explains why Sanju and Manjrekar decided to complete the film in a stipulated period. The film was launched on January 5, 2001 and will be released in January 2002, which is an achievement.

PITAAH tells the story of a mazdoor (Sanjay Dutt) who works for a zamindar (Om Puri). It is about the problems he faces from these so-called big people and how he fights back.

Sanju and his wife Nandita lead a content life, till some episodes compel him to change. "He does everything for his family, but when he is pushed against the wall, he revolts," Manjrekar reveals. Jackie Shroff plays a cop in the film.

"The film also throws light on the caste system that exists even today. Also, women are not being treated the way they should be," Manjrekar adds.

Interesting tit-bits about PITAAH:

* For the first time in his career, Sanju will be seen wearing a dhoti and sporting a beard throughout the film.

* VAASTAV and KURUKSHETRA had one thing in common – shlokas. In PITAAH, there is not one, but three shlokas.

* There is this misconception that Manjrekar's films have Maharashtrian flavour. In PITAAH, the story is based in North India.

* Initially, the film was to be shot in a village in Uttar Pradesh, but when it didn't seem feasible, art director Nitin Desai recreated a village set in Maharashtra, which was a replica of a village of Uttar Pradesh.

PITAAH stars Sanjay Dutt, Jackie Shroff, Nandita Das, Om Puri, Shivaji Satam, Sachin Khedekar, Mita Vashishth, Anupama Verma and Salil Ankola in key roles.

Produced by Avinash Adik and directed by Mahesh Manjrekar, the film has story-screenplay by Teja, cinematography by Vijay Arora, editing by V.N. Mayekar, music by Anand Raaj Anand, lyrics by Praveen Bhardwaj and dialogue by K.K. Singh.