Actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas has dropped a teaser for her Marathi-language production venture Paani, inspired by the real-life struggles of water conservationist Hanumant Kendre.
The one-minute-26-second-long teaser offers a glimpse into Hanumant’s inspiring journey to tackle the water crisis as well as his blossoming love story. It opens with a voiceover narrating how thousands of people from Maharashtra’s drought-prone Marathwada region are forced to abandon their villages and migrate to the cities. Yet, a few resilient individuals, like Hanumant (played by Addinath M Kothare), choose to stay behind, rallying the villagers to unite and confront the crisis head-on.
The teaser also flashes back to the time when the real-life Hanumant shared his inspiring story on Aamir Khan's show Satyamev Jayate.
The teaser concludes with scenes showing Hanumant’s love story, interspersed with powerful moments of him and the villagers tirelessly digging into the barren land in their relentless search for water.
Paani draws inspiration from the true story of Hanumant Kendre, a visionary who dedicated his life to revolutionising water conservation practices in Marathwada.
Sharing the teaser on Instagram, Priyanka wrote, “This is more than a story—it’s a fight for survival.”
Directed by Addinath M. Kothare, the film was originally released in India in 2019. It won the award for the best film on environment conservation at the 66th National Film Awards that year. Additionally, the film was screened at the New York Film Festival in the United States in 2019.
Paani is presented by Rajshri Entertainment in association with Kothare Vision Pvt Ltd. The film is backed by Priyanka’s home banner, Purple Pebble Pictures. The actress’s mother, Madhu Chopra, is also credited as one of the producers. The other producers include Neha Barjatya and the late Rajjat Barjatya, with Mahesh Kothare and Priyanka’s younger brother Siddharth Chopra serving as associate producers.
Also starring Subodh Bhave and Kishore Kadam, Paani will hit theatres across India on October 18.