Hyderabad:
'Jai Bolo Telangana', a Telugu film based on the struggle for a separate Telangana state, is all set for a January release. The movie tells the story of the hectic political activity in Andhra Pradesh over the last one year.
Director N Shankar plans to release the film by the second week of January to cash in on the Telangana sentiment that will come to the fore once the Srikrishna Committee submits its report on December 31. The committee was appointed by the Centre to get the viewpoints of all stakeholders, after a political debacle last December.
"Jai Bolo Telangana is about Telangana agitation that started in November 2009," says Shankar. He adds that through this film, he intends to send across a message - divide the state but don't divide the people.
While actor Smriti Irani plays the lead protagonist in Jai Bolo Telangana, many roles have been played by students of Osmania University and those involved in the Telangana movement.
"It is a very emotional journey especially for the students of Osmania University. The gentleman who plays my son is a part of the university. The students are eagerly looking forward to the film,'' says Smriti Irani.
On Tuesday, the Andhra Pradesh government announced that all 1600 cases against students who protested either for or against a new Telangana state have been dropped.
The Telangana controversy has been an emotive and dangerous one, with the Osmania University campus turning into the main battleground. Students are in favour of a new state and spent the early part of this year confronting the police with demonstrations that turned violent virtually every day. In Coastal regions and Rayalaseema, students protested against the creation of a Telangana state.