Pankaj Tripathi will play a character inspired by Lal Bihari Mritak, a man who struggled to prove that he is alive after he was declared dead in the land revenue records of Uttar Pradesh, in a new film titled Kaagaz. Directed by Satish Kaushik, it will release on Zee5 on January 7.

Director Satish Kaushik, who also plays a pivotal role in Kaagaz, said, “I remember reading about the story of Lal Bihari Mritak in the news for the first time, I was intrigued and inspired with his journey, so I did a lot of research on the events that took place in his life. Eventually, it felt to me like this story deserved to be told to the world.”

Lal Bihari Mritak fought a long and hard battle for nearly two decades to prove himself alive, after he was declared dead in the records of the Uttar Pradesh government’s revenue department in 1976. He founded the Mritak Sangh upon realising that there were many others in the state suffering a similar fate.

Kaagaz is presented by Salman Khan Films with Satish Kaushik Entertainment Production and produced by Salma Khan, Nishant Kaushik and Vikas Malu. Apart from an online release, the film will also release in select theatres in Uttar Pradesh.

(With inputs from agencies)