Search begins for onscreen 'Rajiv Gandhi'

Sheetal Talwar is busy hunting for the right star cast for his next project, a biopic on former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. Each and every character in the movie is tough to cast, says the producer.

The movie will be Sheetal's wife Bhavna's directorial venture.

"As far as the star cast of the film is concerned, obviously we have our wish list, but we can't talk about it right now. A lot of research is going on and we are putting together all other things. So basically the hunt is still on and we are looking for the appropriate actors who can portray the roles well," Sheetal said.

The key characters - Sonia and Rajiv Gandhi - are most crucial, but even the supporting cast is to be taken good care of, he says.

"It's not just Sonia Gandhi, but each and every role is very tough to cast. All the characters in this film have a major contribution in this story. It's not about Indian or foreigner, we are just looking at the right actress who can pull off Sonia Gandhi's role in the film," said Sheetal.

The project is currently in the script development phase, and it is expected to go on floors in mid-2013.

"The work is in progress we are developing the script right now. We are planning to get the script ready by January 2013 and the film will go on floors in the mid of 2013," he said.

They aren't too sure where the movie will be shot.

"Wherever the story takes us we will shoot our film there. We might shoot in India, Washington or New York among other locations," added Sheetal, clarifying that the movie is not set around a political issue.

"It is a story about the vision of a man. We have to capture the lifetime of a leader whose vision has taken our country ahead. We are celebrating the vision of a man and his journey," he added.

Sheetal has earlier produced films like "Mausam", "Rann" and "Rakht Charitra", while Bhavna made her directorial debut with 2007 film "Dharm".