Jagjit Singh Walia accuses Bobby Bedi and Shekhar Kapur of manipulating facts about Phoolan Devi in Bandit Queen. Says his next project is on the slain robber
After Bobby Bedi recently announced his sequel to Shekhar Kapur’s critically acclaimed Bandit Queen, now we hear there is yet another filmmaker who wants to make a film on the slain former dacoit.
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Filmmaker Jagjit Singh Walia also slams Bobby and Kapur for portraying aspects about Phoolan’s life in the first film that are incorrect. He states, “There were many factual errors. How can they now make a second film on her? None of them ever visited Phoolan’s village.”
Walia says he has also met Sher Singh Rana, the prime accused of Phoolan’s murder in jail and has based his film on the information that Rana gave him. The filmmaker also feels that Bedi and Kapur had manipulated several facts in their first film. He says, “I have finished my research and I am ready with the script. In the next two weeks I will finalise the cast and officially announce the project.”
Walia tells us he is planning to approach Sharman Joshi to play Sher Singh. Incidentally, he also adds that his close friend Leander Paes has expressed his desire to work in the film. The filmmaker says, “He could be a part of the film. But I have not offered him any role right now.”
Bobby Bedi however refused to comment on Walia’s claim. All that he says is, “I did the film 20 years ago and I don’t care if anyone else is making a film on the same subject.”u00a0