Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde pays respects to Anand Dighe on the occasion of Guru Purnima, at Shiv Sena Shakha, in Thane.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: 'Anand mara nahin, Anand marte nahin’ - this is how Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde remembered his guru Anand Dighe, coinciding with Guru Purnima festivities as he launched the trailer of the second film on his mentor.
To drive home his point, Shinde, the chief leader of Shiv Sena, took the help of the famous dialogue from the Hrishikesh Mukherjee-directed film Anand, starring Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan, Ramesh Deo, Seema Deo and Dara Singh.
The Chief Minister’s comments came on Sunday evening at the launch of second edition of Dharmaveer in Thane, his bastion.
A firerand leader, Dighe (January 27, 1951 - August 26, 2001), popularly known as ‘Dharmaveer’, was one of the close associates of late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray - and commanded respect and influence in the Thane belt which neighbours the financial capital of Mumbai.
Dharmaveer: Mukkam Post Thane, a biographical film on Dighe - was released on May 13, 2022.
The sequel - Dharmaveer 2 : Mukkam Post Thane, would be released on August 9, 2024.
The sequel’s muhurat was held on November 27, 2023.
The film is directed by Pravin Tarde. Dighe, who remained a bachelor, died, aged 50, because of a heart-attack after a road accident in Thane.
The influential leader used to sport a long beard and saffron tilak, a lot of rings in his fingers, and was known for his simplicity, loyalty and honesty.
“I always had the blessings of Dighe Saheb…today in the gathering, his sister could not come, but her husband and son are there…when I became the chief minister she told me that Dighe Saheb had told her that I would lead Maharashtra one day,” Shinde said amid thunderous applause.
Shinde’s son and Kalyan MP Dr Shrikant Shinde, deputy chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, Salman Khan, Bobby Deol, Jeetendra, Govinda, Boman Irani, Rakul Preet Singh, Jackky Bhagnani, Amruta Khanvilkar, Ashok Saraf, Nivedita Joshi, Mahesh Kothare and the star cast of the film Prasad Oak, Kshitish Date, Siddharth Jadhav amongst others were present.
“Dighe Saheb’s legacy was first introduced to audiences in the movie Dharmaveer, but his contributions are so extensive that they cannot be encapsulated in just one film. Hence, the story has been expanded into two parts,” he said.