One of the most anticipated movies of the year, Jhund sees Amitabh Bachchan bring the story of social worker Vijay Barse — the founder of Slum Soccer, a Nagpur-based organisation dedicated towards the upliftment of underprivileged children through football — on celluloid. Before the Nagraj Manjule-directed film went on floors in December, the megastar met Barse as part of his prep for the character.

Sharing details of their first meeting, co-producer Savita Raj Hiremath tells mid-day, "Nagraj invited Barse and his family on the film's set on the first day of the shoot. He thought an interaction between Barse and Bachchan saab would help the megastar gain insights into his character. He was awestruck when he realised that Bachchan saab had read up on him and his efforts to give the underprivileged children a better life. The superstar also told him that he agreed to do the film because he was proud of his endeavour and wanted the message to reach across the nation."