Biopic on Bal Thackeray on cards; Big B or Junior Bachchan may land role
The late Shiv Sena founder and leader Bal Thackeray will now get his own biopic. According to the sources, the biopic is being produced by his daughter-in-law Smita Thackeray and directed by his grandson Rahul, will it be more of an audio-visual eulogy, than an evenhanded narrative on the life of an influential and controversial politico-socio-cultural icon? However, the film’s release put rumours to rest and it was seen that the story was quite different. Now, it’s reported that Smita Thackeray is all set to produce a biography on the life of Balasaheb Thackeray, which will be helmed by her son, Rahul Thackeray.Turns out that Big B has got the majority votes to play the lead, among other contenders that included Shah Rukh Khan, Akshay Kumar, Abhishek Bachchan, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Manoj Bajpayee.
A source has been quoted in reports as saying that the makers have approached Big B for the role but the actor hasn’t given his nod yet.Smita Thackeray is a veteran Bollywood producer and her son has reportedly graduated from a Canadian film school after which he has assisted Raju Hirani as an assistant in PK, in that sense they are both bonafide ‘filmmakers’, making a film about a person who has had a great impact on the politics and socio-cultural milieu of Maharashtra.Rahul, however, acknowledged that the biopic will be an emotional and serious issue for all involved. “I can say this that the film will be an emotional and serious one not just for us but for many in the country,” said Rahul.
It was always Balasaheb’s desire that he do something big for Rahul and it was Rahul’s wish to make his first film on his Aaja (Marathi word for paternal grandfather). The film is in its final stages of scripting , While we will wait to see who plays the ‘Tiger’ himself (the title given to Balasaheb) but it will also be interesting to see who plays the important characters of Uddhav Thackeray, Raj Thackeray, Meenatai and Smita Thackeray herself as these were some of the most important people in the life of Balasaheb. Excerpts from a conversation with Smita Thackeray, who literally worshipped Balasaheb.
By-Devanshi