Vidya Balan to play Indira Gandhi on screen

Movie will be based on journalist-author Sagarika Ghose's book Indira: Indias Most Powerful Prime Minister.

Acclaimed Bollywood star Vidya Balan will play former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi onscreen in a project based on journalist-author Sagarika Ghose's book Indira: India's Most Powerful Prime Minister.

Vidya Balan to play Indira Gandhi in adaptation of Sagarika Ghose’s biography https://t.co/rdGPsfJQjJ via @TheReel_in

— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) January 10, 2018

"I am happy to have acquired the rights to Sagarika Ghose's Indira: India's Most Powerful Prime Minister, because I have always wanted to play Indira Gandhi. I haven't decided yet whether it should be a film or a web series, but that will take a while anyway," Vidya, a National Award winner, said in a statement on Tuesday.

Ghose, elated about signing the contract, wrote, "Most excited to see ‘Indira' on-screen!"

Soooo excited that the luminous, sensitive and stunning @vidya_balan is to play Indira Gandhi in the movie adaptation of my book, "Indira, India's Most Powerful PM"! @juggernautbooks https://t.co/DuzQSVt5Yj

— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) January 11, 2018

She also called Vidya an "ace".

It is! @vidya_balan is just such an ace... https://t.co/S9Qyg0yoBY

— Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) January 10, 2018

The book, published by Juggernaut Books, is a no-holds-barred biographical portrait that looks for answers to lingering issues: from why Indira Gandhi revoked the Emergency to her son Sanjay's curious grip over her; and from her bad marriage and love affairs to her dangerous religious politics.

Indira: India's Most Powerful Prime Minister was pitched by the publishers to the film and screen community at the Word to Screen Market 2017, organised by the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.

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