Who’s written the script?
Carl Austin from the US, based on the book on Sonia by Rashid Kidwai. It’s all ready for casting and shooting.
When do you plan to do that?
By October-end, once we have the necessary permission.
Do you need permission from Sonia Gandhi?
As a courtesy. Not legally. She’s a public figure, a book on her life has been around. We’re not starting with approaching Sonia Gandhi for her blessings because it would appear like a propaganda piece, which it is not.
So can we expect a controversial film?
Not controversial but engaging.
Have you spoken to Congress party leaders?
I met a lot of Congress people—Rajiv Shukla, Murli Deora, Sheila Dixit. They liked the idea.
What do you really want to say about Sonia?
The story of a woman who came to India for the love of a man and stayed for the love of the country.
Will it cover her earlier days as an au pair?
It will cover her life from 1964 to 2004. We have no information that she worked as au pair.
They call you the soft porn movie-maker.
I’ve never done soft porn, only erotic thrillers. My films have a story where sex is integral to the motivation of the character.
And you’ve done serious films as well?
I did Kamala, based on Vijay Tendulkar’s play, Bhawander on the rape of low-caste women. But only films like Night Eyes which I did for Ashok Amrithraj are remembered. It had a budget of $750,000 and earned $30 million and spawned five sequels.
