Ananth Mahadevan on the demise of Padma Shri Sindhutai Sapkal: She wanted to give orphans a life that was denied to her'- Exclusive!

Renowned social worker and Padma Shri recipient

Sindhutai Sapkal

passed away due to cardiac arrest at a hospital in Pune on Tuesday.

Grief-stricken messages and condolences poured in as news of Sapkal, who was popularly referred to as "Mai".

Bollywood and Marathi popular actor-director Ananth Narayan Mahadevan, who made the National Award-winning Mee 'Sindhutai Sapkal' (2010) on the life of the ‘Mother of Orphans’, expressed grief and expressed condolences over the death of Sapkal.

Mahadevan said "You never know what is there in your destiny. There was no logic to do people like

Sindhutai

Sapkal and Ananth Narayan Mahadevan meeting. There was an edition called 'Crest' from

Times Of India

which used to come every Saturday. It used to carry interesting stories. One of the stories was about 'Sindhutai Sapkal'. I was curious to know about her life and I reached out to her"

"She has undergone, like being thrown out of the house when she was pregnant and then delivering a baby in the cowshed and feeding her child in crematorium was not an ordinary woman. She was on the verge of giving up on life, not once but twice, but then she decided why to take a life when you can give a life" He added.

Elaborating further Mahadevan said "Her thought process changed and then she started giving shelters to orphans and started feeding them. Literally, begging in trains and started collecting money for their uplift. When we approached her for a film, her initial scepticism was there on 'Why You People Want To Make a film or You People trying to

Exploit Me

'. I had convinced her that I am not part of that tribe. I told her that I want to make a cinema that speaks a global language."

The filmmaker gives an insight into Sapkal’s life. 'Mai' incredible journey was inspiring for all of us when we began to research her work. So, we made this film without compromising on authenticity or the truth or what she went through. It was a tribute to a woman who achieved the impossible"

He further said, "This film gave me something that six films couldn't give me. At the same time, this film gave Mai, a kind of platform where the world knew about her. The funds and donations started coming and she slowly achieved her dream of building her ashrams and housing her 1000 children"