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Shooter Dadi Shares Backstage Stories From Saand Ki Aankh

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Ria Das
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Shooter dadi ,2019 women centric films

Saand Ki Aankh - a brand new poster of the film on the 87-year-old sharpshooter Chandro Tomar's life is out and how! Commonly known as Shooter Dadi and her 82-year-old sister-in-law Prakashi Tomar will be portrayed by actresses Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar.

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The poster reveals Taapsee and Bhumi sporting ghagras and kurtas, just like dadis, and guns are their only jewellery.

Sharing the poster on her Instagram account, Taapsee Pannu wrote: "They may be old, but their aim is sure-shot gold! Here's the first look poster."

Meanwhile, Bhumi Pednekar claims: "They are fun, they are full of love. They are the Shooter dadis of India. Proud to be a part of their journey."

Directed by Tushar Hiranandani, Saand Ki Aankh chronicles the story of India's oldest sharpshooters, who began sharpshooting in their fifties.

The tagline on the poster reads: "They broke out of their cage... At 60 they rose above their age.... With 700 medals they became a rage." Taapsee shared the poster on social media and wrote: "They challenged their age, fought their way and shot to fame in the shooting game. First look out now."

Directed by Tushar Hiranandani, Saand Ki Aankh chronicles the story of India's oldest sharpshooters, who began sharpshooting in their fifties. Tomar is not a typical grandmother. She has 6 children and 15 grandchildren, yet living life-like a millennial. Coming from a small village called Johri, located in the Bagpat district of Uttar Pradesh, her story is one of a kind.

One day Tomar (then 65) and her granddaughter visited the Johri Rifle Club to learn shooting and was instantly hooked. At the shooting range, she bulls-eyed the target with a pistol and since then became famous as Shooter Dadi.

SheThePeople.TV catches up with the dynamite lady...

"I belong to a typical joint family where women are expected to behave in a certain traditional way." - Chandro Tomar.

"I belong to a typical joint family where women are expected to behave in a certain traditional way. Since childhood I was taught to take care of the household chores but destiny had something entirely different planned for me. So when I got the opportunity to share my story with the entire country on Satyamev Jayate, I decided to discover the new way for women to live young forever and free in a male dominated society," says the world's oldest woman sharpshooter.

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Dadi has competed in and won 25 national championships throughout India.

When we asked dadi what gives her the motivation to go on at 87, she spoke in hushed tones,"Tann Buddha hota hai, mann nahi hota (My Body might fail, but my Mind is resilient). I believe this is the essence of my life and I have tried to share the same zeal with Saand Ki Aankh crew. This is the base of the movie, the base of my life-long battle to live with dignity."

Talking more about the film, she explained, "For the last three years, my family and I have put our energy in this movie, making the biopic as realistic as possible. Director Tushar Hiranandani, Taapsee and Bhumi, they all became a part of the family here in my village. I would gladly say that the leads have become my heroes."

"Discrimination against women still exists in the society, especially in villages where they are seriously prejudiced. This is the right time to portray real women's stories on big screen since the medium has a wider reach."

While Bollywood is waking up to make more women-centric biopics, when asked about why does she (Dadi) think the industry should produce more such films where the real-life women heroes are celebrated. "When we see women flying fighter jets and taking top most positions in every industry, we wonder for more," she claimed.

"Discrimination against women still exists in the society, especially in villages where they are seriously prejudiced. This is the right time to portray real women's stories on big screen since the medium has a wider reach. Masses enjoy women-led movies these days and channeling a woman's story from the root of Uttar Pradesh could be a progressive move. My intention to share my story with film buffs was to make the young generation aware of the struggles we go through here in the village. How the two dadis are well-known faces today despite being from a rural illiterate society," she added.

Tomar is the true testimony of grit and determination. The popularity she gained over the years has impacted the lives of so many other women in her region.

Saand Ki Aankh is slated to release on Diwali this year.

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