MUMBAI:Who says only a handful of our filmmakers exploit the Punjabi culture and the Punjab landscape? Nigerian filmmaker Chukwuma Osakwe is also smitten by Punjab and its people.

Osakwe’s upcoming film Jude based in Punjab is the story of a frustrated copywriter who runs away from the dull and unexciting life to try his hand at filmmaking.

The subject has been placed in the backdrop of a love story with a Punjabi girl. Outlining the story, the director says the protagonist comes to India chasing his dreams only to meet a Punjabi beauty and fall in love with her.

32-year old Osakwe, who incidentally did a three-month filmmaking course from comedian Jaspal Bhatti‘s Mad Arts School in Mohali last year, enjoys a very strong connection with Punjab.

“I am in love with Punjab. I have come here again because Jude would be incomplete without the locations of this state and most importantly without the Punjabi flavour. Jude is a multicultural film, based on discrimination on the basis of religion, colour, caste and race,” Osakwe says in a satement.

“Jude has been shot at Lagos, Chandigarh and in Mohali. I have tried to show my own struggle in this movie. It is the journey of a youth from despair to glory; about winning against the odds of life. The subject is very contemporary and I am expecting a good response,” he adds.

Osakwe deciphers the title thus – J stands for Juochi, meaning faith in god; U is Udoka, meaning peace; D is Dilibe, meaning look out for your neighbour; and E for Ejio, meaning togetherness. It has very strong relevance in Africa.

Mad Arts School is also helping Osakwe in completing Jude being made on a shoestring budget of Rs.1 million.

Jude, which has Nigerian actor and businessman Daniel Llyod teamed up with 24-year-old Punjabi TV actress Loveena, is nearing completion and is set for a June-July release.