New Delhi, Sept. 19 -- Bollywood filmmaker Ravindra Gautam, known for Maharani Season 2 and Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami, is back with a biopic that promises sincerity over spectacle. Ajey: The Untold Story of a Yogi, starring Anant Joshi as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, released in theatres today (September 19). In an interview with Hindustan Times, Gautam lays bare what drew him to this subject, and some of the unusual lengths the cast and crew went to, including giving up non-vegetarian food for the duration of the shoot.

Gautam says the journey of Yogi Adityanath-from sanyasi at 22 to youngest MP by 26-was "god-sent." He credits the book The Monk Who Became Chief Minister by Shantanu Gupta (whose rights were acquired by U...