Anil Kapoor, Boman Irani being considered for Subrata Roy biopic: Source

After the death of Sahara group founder Subrata Roy, talks around the biopic on his life have revived, with makers planning to put the film in production early next year. With the team pondering over the casting choice, two names have emerged as front-runners — Anil Kapoor and Boman Irani.

Sometime back, producers Sandeep Singh and Dr. Jayantilal Gada along with director Sudipto Sen had announced Saharasri, a biopic on the life of the founder, with buzz that they will get music maestro AR Rahman to work on the music. Now, we have learnt that they have pulled back the project in action, with active talks about casting.

“The passing of Roy has been a sad event, but the makers have been in discussion to revive the project for quite some time now. In fact, they have been in active discussions with actor Anil Kapoor to portray the character, and are waiting for him to sign the dotted line,” says a source.

The source continues, “While Anil has shown interest and has had several discussions with the team, he has not said yes to the project. It seems he is hesitant to get onboard the character because of the controversial aspects of Roy’s life. However, the makers are hoping he will say yes soon. In fact, the makers want to start shooting the film early next year with the film covering all aspects of his life from being born to his death”.

That being said, another source shares, “Along with Anil Kapoor, the makers also have actor Boman Irani in mind, but have not approached him yet. They will only reach out to him once Anil Kapoor declines to do the project”.

“Anil has his reservations, since the negative sentiment towards Roy and controversies continue to exist even after his death,” adds the insider.

Another insider from the trade reveals, “If the actors don’t say yes, the makers will have no choice to go with a lesser known name. But Roy’s family will not be okay to see a small actor essay his life on the screen. In that case, the film will be shelved”.

Roy passed away in Mumbai on Tuesday night after a prolonged illness.