Dashrath Manjhi’s family watch ‘Manjhi - The Mountain Man’

Members of Dashrath Manjhi’s family were shown Manjhi - The Mountain Man, a biopic based on his life, at a cinema in Bihar’s Gaya district.

The Nawazuddin Siddiqui film is about the Gehlaur village resident who single-handedly cut through a hill to make a road for his village. Manjhi died in 2007 in his early 80s.

The Bihar government has exempted the film from entertainment tax so that the maximum number of people get to watch it, officials said.

After watching the film, Manjhi’s son Bhagirath said: “We are happy to see Baba’s [father] real story in the shape of a film. It will help the next generation to know his rare and dedicated work.”

Another family member Mithun Manjhi said he never thought such a beautiful film could be made about his grandfather’s achievement.

Thousands of people across Bihar watched the film but in Gaya, the main attraction was Manjhi’s family, who were welcomed by the district’s residents when they arrived for the show.

The Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar watched the film in Patna with its director Ketan Mehta and praised it.

Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi also watched the film along with party leaders on Friday.

“This film has rightly depicted the real story of Dashrath Manjhi. He should be given Bharat Ratna as a recognition for his work,” Jitan said.

In the UAE, the film is available for etisalat’s eLife subscribers from the OnDemand selection.