The late Pramod Mahajan and Abu Salem, poster boys of the BJP and the underworld, respectively, will soon make a transition from cheap banners and handbills to spiffy vinyl billboards.
Two films are being planned on the gangster and the late politician.
MUMBAI: The late Pramod Mahajan and Abu Salem, poster boys of the BJP and the underworld, respectively, will soon make a transition from cheap banners and handbills to spiffy vinyl billboards. Two films are being planned on the former BJP general secretary, and the prime accused in the 1993 serial blasts in Bombay.
“The film (on Salem) will tell the real story of the country’s second most sought-after man,” Sarla Saraogi, wife of Salem’s lawyer Ashok and producer of the film, told DNA. “It will provide glimpses into the don’s many-layered experiences and portray him as someone with ordinary human emotions.”
The film will be directed by N Chandra of Tezaab fame and shot in Portugal and Mumbai. Saraogi, whose previous venture was Kalyug Ke Avtaar (1995), said the lead actor is yet to be decided. The budget is expected to be about Rs12 crore.
The film on Mahajan will be called Hello, Mahajan Bol Raha Hoon and “deals with the shady deals that Pramod Mahajan allegedly had with the corporate world”, said director Amjad Khan. “But the film will contain positive aspects of Mahajan as well. The focus will be on how he evolved as the face of the BJP.”
Khan said the film should be ready by January next.
“Saturday is the mahurat of the film,” said Khan. “The opening shot is that of the Shivani Bhatnagar murder case in which Mahajan’s name had cropped up.”
“We don’t have any hard feelings against anybody,” said producer Ranjit Sharma. “We think these subjects are of great interest.”
Khan said actors, including Ashutosh Rana and Irrfan Khan, have been approached. “We also plan to field a leading politician, but we need consent,” he said.
Mahajan’s brother-in-law Gopinath Munde told DNA that anyone making a film on him will have to seek the family’s permission. “If they go ahead, we might take legal action,” he said.
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