Bandaa: The Real Face Behind Manoj Bajpayee’s Courtroom Drama on Zee5

The latest Bollywood courtroom drama of the versatile actor Manoj Bajpayee, Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai, premiered on Zee5 on May 23. The film is inspired by the real-life events of advocate Poonam Chand Solanki, who fought the Asaram Bapu rape case in 2013. The film has been raising controversy since the release of its trailers. The controversies rose to such a level that Asaram’s charitable trust, Sant Shri Asaramji Ashram Charitable Trust, sent a legal notice to the directors and producers of the film. The notice alleged that the film is ‘highly objectionable and defamatory.’

Who is Asaram Bapu?

Asaram Bapu was born Asumal Sirmalani Harpalani and is one of the nation’s most influential self-proclaimed godmen. He is also infamous for his crimes. In 1972, he established his first ashram in the Motera village of Gujarat. Later, he moved to Surat and gained more supporters among the tribals there. Today, the charitable trust runs over 400 ashrams, some of which are located abroad. Additionally, he owns 40 gurukuls, a sizable printing press, and an Ayurveda unit.

He was accused of sexually assaulting a minor in Uttar Pradesh while performing a ritual to ‘cure her evil.’ He was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Sessions Court in Gandhinagar. Several bail petitions and appeals were filed against the conviction in the Supreme Court for the suspension of the sentence, but to no avail. Currently, the Godman is in a Jodhpur jail, serving his sentence.

PC Solanki: The Face Behind The Conviction

Advocate Poonam Chand Solanki was the legal counsel for the minor girl's case against Asaram. He was born to a former railway mechanic in Jodhpur and is the only brother of three sisters. Despite having limited means of livelihood, he worked hard through law school. He became a member of the bar in 1996.

Prior to this, he was involved in an environmental PIL case against the immersion of Lord Ganesha idols made of plaster of Paris, which led to the deaths of several fish in the lake. In 2014, he was approached by the parents of a minor to fight the rape case against Asaram. He went up against many legal aficionados such as Salman Khursheed, Subramanian Swamy, Ram Jethmalani, and KTS Tulsi, who were some of the lawyers Asaram changed for his defense in the case.

Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai: Zee5

The film Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai portrays PC Solanki fighting a rape case against a godman. The godman is referred to as Baba, and no names have been pointed out. The names of other key characters have also been changed. The creative producer of the Bollywood film Suparn S. Verma told DNA that they only had the right to use Solanki’s name and story and hence made other such creative changes. The film, also known as Bandaa, casts Adrija, Vipin Sharma, Manoj Bajpayee, and Surya Mohan as Baba. Sirf Ek Bandaa Kaafi Hai is directed by Apoorva Singh Karki and has received rave reviews. The critics have praised the script, presentation, and Bajpayee’s performance as Solanki.

Image Source : Internet