Is Randeep doing a Charles Sobhraj here?

While Randeep Hooda calls his next film a biopic on Charles Sobhraj, producer Pooja Bhatt argues otherwise

Randeep Hooda may have gone to town talking about his upcoming film - which he says is a biopic of Charles Sobhraj. But the film's producer Pooja Bhatt has us in for a mighty surprise after claiming her project is not a biopic at all.

While she accepts that Randeep's character in the film is called Charles, she insisted that the basic premise has nothing to do with the serial conman.

Even when the film was announced, it was widely reported to be a biopic on Sobhraj. Even a while back, Adil Hussain had told a correspondent from this paper that he was to play the cop, Amod Kanth, who had arrested Sobhraj after he escaped from the Tihar Jail. Then, why is Bhatt suddenly claiming otherwise?



The director of the film, Prawaal Raman too seems to be toeing his producer's line. In a recent interview, he stated that the film was not Sobhraj's biopic and that the narrative was from Kanth's viewpoint.

A source from the film's sets in Udaipur, where Randeep and co-star Richa Chadda are currently shooting, says, `From whatever portions we have shot, it is clear that the film has resemblances to Sobhraj's life. According to the script, we will try and portray certain aspects from his romantic relationships as well.`


Says Bhatt, `It is not Sobhraj's biopic. The entire film focusses on his infamous jailbreak. The episode is part of the public domain and I purchased the rights to the story from the then-Delhi DCP, Kanth.`

On why his lead actor claimed the film was a biopic in 'No time for love' (HitList, July 16), Bhatt argues, `An actor cannot be the spokesperson for a director or producer.

Randeep's character is called Charles but we are going to put a disclaimer in the beginning about the film being fictional. I cannot clear each and every report that comes out and I am fine with any confusion on whether it is biopic or not.`