Filmmaker Kundan Ranjan. Telegraph Picture

Patna, Dec. 19: Inspired by the story of “Mountain Man” Dashrath Manjhi, filmmaker Kundan Ranjan has produced a documentary “The Man Who Moved The Mountain.

The documentary film also shows the present condition of Manjhi’s family members who are struggling for survival.

The 26-minute documentary, which Ranjan completed in three-and-a-half years, shows how Manjhi’s family is being ignored after his death in 2007. The film was screened at the Patna Film Festival.

Ranjan said: “It was a challenge for me to properly portray Manjhi’s life. Residents of Manjhi’s village had also come for the screening so it was even more important for me to be correct in my work.”

Ranjan added: “It is a pity that Manjhi’s family has been left bereft of even the basic necessities. He was recognised by all but now his family has to struggle for food and have to walk 4km for drinking water.”

Manjhi, a labourer, single-handedly cut through the Gehlour hills in Gaya district and shortened the distance between Atri and Wazirganj blocks from 75km to just 1km. He worked day in and day out for 22 years to achieve this near-impossible task.

Not only this, Manjhi once walked all the way to Delhi alongside the railway tracks. It took him two months to reach Delhi on foot.

Ranjan, who spent sometime with Manjhi, said the man resembled Sant Kabir in his attitude to life. “He often quoted him,” he added.

Inspired by Manjhi’s resolve, Ranjan, from Motihari, left his job at a channel decided to follow his dream of making documentaries.