Jag Mundhra still hopeful of making film on Sonia Gandhi

By Staff
|
Google Oneindia News

New Delhi, Apr 6 (UNI) Objections from the Congress may have forced him to put on hold his biopic on the life of Congress President Sonia Gandhi but US-based Indian filmmaker Jagmohan Mundhra is still hopeful that the film will see the light of day some time in the future.

''I have the script of the film ready for long time now. However, after media reports that the film was based on Ms Gandhi's life, the Congress party sent me a legal notice, asking me to stop the project. So, right now the film is on hold. However, I am still optimistic about being able to make the film some time in the future,'' Mundhra told UNI here on the eve of his latest film 'Provoked', featuring Bollywood actor and former Miss world Aishwarya Rai in the lead role.

Shooting for the film inspired by Ms Gandhi's life, said to be based on Rasheed Kidwai's book 'Sonia - A Biography' and which traces life of the Congress leader from a small Italian town to India after her marriage, from her distancing herself from politics to her emerging as the leader of the party, was to begin in October last year but was put on hold after the Congress party objected to it because the movie did not have consent either from Ms Gandhi or any other member of her family.

The Congress said, it feared the film might contain inaccuracies.

Speaking on the issue, Mundhra said,''The reason I did not seek Ms Gandhi's permission was because I felt that it might have placed her in an embarrassing position. If she had cooperated, her opponents would have said she was having a propaganda movie made about herself.

On the other hand, if she refused, it would have become a issue for the media which could have charged her with stifling freedom of expression,'' he added.

Mundhra had zeroes in Italian actress Monica Bellucci to play the lead role in the film, which was to be shot in the UK, Italy and India. The film is said to chronicle 40 years from the time Sonia met Rajiv Gandhi at Cambridge where they both studied.

He said he had met Ms Gandhi after the controversy arose to explain to her why he did not seek her permission.

''I met Ms Gandhi and explained why I didn't seek her approval for the film. I told her that I just wanted to make a film on a woman who comes to India for the love of her life and stays on there for the love of the country. I think she seemed to understand my point,'' Mundhra said.

He is hopeful that he would be able to eventually make the film some time in the future when the time is right.

''Hopefully, some time in the future, maybe a couple of years from now, I will be able to restart the film with a new producer,''Mundhra said.

More UNI

For Daily Alerts
Get Instant News Updates
Enable
x
Notification Settings X
Time Settings
Done
Clear Notification X
Do you want to clear all the notifications from your inbox?
Settings X
X