After 'Mulayam Chalisa', a biopic on SP patriarch

Rs 30 crore celluloid caper to release in 2016

Years after 'Mulayam Chalisa', a 40-verse paean on Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, now comes a biopic planned on the 76-year-old socialist leader.

The film would sketch Mulayam's journey from the then non-descript village of Saifai in Etawah district, where he was born in an ordinary agriculturists' family, to becoming the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh in 1989; his first of three stints in office.

To be made under the banner of Godfather Films and Shilpa Motion Works, Mumbai, the biopic titled 'Neta ji: Mulayam Singh Yadav' would be directed by Vivek Dixit and produced by Sandeep Shukla, Sarvjit Sigh and Vivek Dixit. The film would be produced both in Hindi and English languages.

Dixit has so far been associated with documentaries and some lesser known flicks.

"I have been deeply influenced by his (Mulayam) personality. My film would reflect the unknown facets of his personality and his life's struggle," he said.

Meanwhile, the film is likely to hit the floors in the next one-and-half months and would be completed in a year. The film's subject has already been given the green signal by the Yadav family.

"We would shoot the entire film in Uttar Pradesh," Dixit told newspersons here on the sidelines of the formal launch of the project today. UP cabinet minister and Mulayam's younger brother, Shivpal Singh Yadav launched the film's poster at a function.

In his address, he said it was wrestling that had brought initial fame to Mulayam and secured him his maiden ticket to fight UP assembly polls, which he won to became a legislator in 1967. This marked the beginning of his successful political and public life.

The film's budget is estimated at Rs 30 crore and is being projected to be launched around August-September 2016.

Although Mulayam is known to be averse to express sycophancy, at least two paeans in the form of 'Chalisa' (40-verse rhythmic poetry) had in the past been penned eulogising him and his government.

While, different media reports have claimed Rahul Bose or Raghuvir Yadav were to play the title role in the biopic, Dixit maintained the star cast was yet not finalised.

"We are in the process of selecting the cast. All the characters would be essayed by professional actors," he said thereby brushing aside suggestions of real people playing their characters in the film.