Madhuri Dixit to play Indira Gandhi in new biopic

The Golden Globe nominated Shah has been writing the script of the film 'Mother: The Indira Gandhi Story' for last 23 years and he now plans to bring it onscreen by the end of 2011, Variety magazine reported.

The renowned director-producer, who has earned critical acclaim both on Broadway and in Hollywood, has roped in Dixit to play the lead in his ambitious project.

Shah hopes to begin shooting in April in India and also plans to shoot some parts in the US, UK and Russia.
"It's such an exciting, dramatic story. The canvas of her life is too big to be contained in one film," the writer-director said.

"It will be in Hinglish," Shah said, adding that the film will have no songs and will be different from a Bollywood-style movie.

Shah's direction credits include films like 'Hard Rock Zombies', 'American Drive-In', 'Cinema Cinema' and 'Shalimar'.

The 42-year-old Dixit is known for her roles in blockbusters like 'Beta', Tezab', 'Dil' and Devdas'. Her last Bollywood film was 'Aaja Nach Le', which did not do well at the box-office. She lives in the US with her doctor husband Shriram Nene and two sons Arin and Raayan.

Madhuri Dixit will now be Indira Gandhi. The Dhak Dhak actress has agreed to feature in the title role of Krishna Shah's 'Mother: The Indira Gandhi Story'.

The two-part film was announced yesterday in Los Angeles to mark Gandhi's 92nd birth anniversary (November 19). Madhuri was present at the event.

It is learnt that Hollywood stars Tom Hanks and Tommy Lee Jones are being approached for the film. They will essay the roles of Lyndon  Johnson and Richard Nixon respectively. From B-Town, Dharmendra, Abhay Deol and Nana Patekar have been approached to play Motilal Nehru, Rajiv Gandhi and Jaiprakash Narayan respectively.

Computer imaging of Madhuri Dixit (right) as Indira Gandhi

They have to know

Says the India born US-based Krishna Shah, "I had met Indira Gandhi twice and had been following her career. I was impressed by the way she had touched millions of lives. I started contemplating with the idea: will the future generation ever know that there was a woman who made a difference to millions? This made me realise that I must make a film on her."

As part of his research spread over two decades, Shah read books on Gandhi, conducted interviews with politicians, journalists, bureaucrats, writers, military officials and her contemporaries.

The first part of the biopic will cover Gandhi from her birth to her emergence as a Maa Durga-like figure after her victory against Pakistan in the 1971 war. Part Two will cover the political span of the rise of her son Sanjay Gandhi to her assassination. Both the parts will connect with the main theme of the film (Mother) through every event or person that touched her life.  The project goes on the floors by mid- 2010.  

Writer-director-producer Shah's earlier films include Shalimar, Cinema Cinema, American Drive-In and Hard Rock Zombies.

That's shocking.  😲😲