Shoojit Sircar likely to direct biopic on former George Fernandes; film will be produced by Sanjay Raut

After Thackeray, Shiv Sena leader and MP-turned-filmmaker Sanjay Raut now plans to make a biopic on former Defence Minister George Fernandes who passed away in New Delhi on 29 January. According to Mumbai Mirror, the script and screenplay have been locked, and Raut plans to start shooting for the film in March.Mirror writes that the film will focus mostly on the period from the mid-1950s in Mumbai to the Emergency, and the crucial role Fernandes played in coalition-era politics.[caption id="attachment_5998181" align="alignnone" width="822"]

George Fernandes. Image from Twitter[/caption]Raut is still in the process of deciding on the lead actor for the film, which will be made in both Hindi and Marathi. The report states that Shoojit Sircar is likely to helm the biopic. Speaking to Mirror, Raut said, "I seek guidance from Shoojit as he is a close friend and I’d love to have a talented director like him on board. But we’re yet to finalise names."Incidentally, there is a scene in Thackeray where Fernandes, played by Prakash Belawadi, visits Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, essayed by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, in a Pune jail.Indo-Asian News Service writes that besides Thackeray, Fernandes had inspired the characters of a union leader D'Cost in Arun Sadhu's noted Marathi novel Mumbai Dinank and in the film Simhasan, directed by Jabbar Patel.