Mumbai: After a series of hits, like ‘Queen’ and ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’, Kangana Ranaut is all set to reprise the rolewarrior queen Laxmibai in her forthcoming biopic by renowned filmmaker Ketan Mehta. The Indo-Brit venture will be based on the life of queen from Jhansi, who fought against British colonialism in the 1857 uprising.
To get into the skin of her character, Kangana will be undergoing training in horse-riding and sword-fighting. Mehta is returning to the pre-independence era following his Aamir Khan-starrer biopic on Mangal Pandey in 2005.
There are several speculations regarding the casting of the film, with English actor Hugh Grant’s name cropping up in some reports. Mehta, however, is mum on the cast. The process of casting is on and we will be making an announcement soon,” Mehta said.
The director, known for films like “Mirch Masala”, “Maya Memsaab”, “Rang Rasiya”, said the biopic will go on floors next year. Talking about the project, Mehta said, “Rani Laxmibai is one of the most fascinating women I have come across in terms of what she has done in her life. I enjoy making biopics.
“It is a great platform to say stories of those people who have done great work. It has been a challenge to write this biopic but these are good challenges. I am very excited to start working on it,” Mehta said.
Ketan Mehta is well known for making colourful, socially and historically relevant cinema. Recently released Rang Rasiya, was based on the life of revolutionary painter Raja Ravi Varma, which was released after facing opposition from various sections. He had directed Deepa Sahi and Shah Rukh Khan starrer Maya Memsaab, which was based on Gustave Flaubert’s novel ‘Madame Bovary’. His film ‘Mirch Masala’, starring late Smita Patil and Naseeruddin Shah was a strong narrative highlighting woman empowerment in rural Rajasthan.
Bureau Report
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