Bollywood has been on a roll with back to back biopics hitting the box office as months go by. From warriors, to brave hearts, sportsmen, actors and more, true stories are bringing the Indian cinema in a revival mode.
A recent addition to this genre is the cinematic adaptation of journalist Sagarika Ghose’s book Indira: India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister. One might wonder which actress would be fit to execute such a powerful personality. Putting a rest to speculations, Vidya Balan has confirmed that she will be playing Indira Gandhi in this biopic.
The book has the answers to lingering issues: from why Indira Gandhi revoked the Emergency to her son Sanjay’s curious grip over her; and from her bad marriage and love affairs to her dangerous religious politics.
Unusual choice? Ever since the actress made the announcement, fans and critics both agreed that she is the perfect choice to play the Iron Lady of India. In fact, she will also be playing NTR’s wife in the upcoming biopic of the filmmaker.
That being said, there was debate where it would be made as a film or a web series. In a conversation with Mid-Day, Vidya Balan revealed that Indira Gandhi biopic will be made into a web series as the material to be shown in too vast. “There is too much material for it be made into a film. So, we decided to turn it into a web series. We don’t know how many seasons we will be allotting to it. We are in the process of putting together a team,” she said.
The Dirty Picture actress also mentioned that she is glad that her long cherished dream of playing one of the most powerful personalities in the Indian history is finally being completed and she is really excited to be a part of this project.
With Ronnie Screwvala producing the digital show, a lot of homework has gone down for the prep. “We have to do a lot more research. Developing the script will take long, as there is so much information on her. We can’t put a timeline as to when the project will go on floors,” Vidya added.
With several controversies that follow such films, Vidya was asked if they will approach the Gandhi family for permission. She said, “We don’t require permission, as it’s based on a book and we have the rights to it.”
