Nawazuddin Siddiqui to play his childhood hero

Having played a host of variety of characters, it seems Nawazuddin Siddiqui is about to play his dream role.  News has it, that the actor has been signed for an international film, directed by Heeraz Marfatia,  about the famous dacoit Sultana Daku.

Sultana Daku was a real life bandit who caused havoc for the British Raj in the 1920’s, in what is now known as Uttar Pradesh. Despite having been captured and hanged in 1924, the stories of Daku are still legendary. The film will be inspired by the fictional story of the bandit written by Sujit Saraf titled, ‘The Confession of Sultana Daku’ (2009). Talking about casting Siddiqqui, Marfatia expressed, “He has been preparing for this character all his life without even knowing it. When I spoke to him, he knew everything about Sultana Daku because he grew up just a 100 kms away from where Sultana lived. Even today, in films like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ (2012), set in the region, there is a mention of Sultana Daku

Being a real life hero, people of UP still feel a sense of pride being associated with Sultatna Daku being from the same state. Which is why Marfatia has taken up the project, As Pune Mirror reports him stating, “I was recently sitting at a Delhi restaurant and when a young boy of about 15 entered, the owner asked him where he is from and how he will hold his own in Delhi. He replied confidently that he was from the land of Sultana Daku. That’s what got me seriously interested in the project.”

Talking about playing such a character, Siddiqui expressed “On dark winter nights, snug under a warm blanket, with candles flickering around us and the threat of modern-day dacoit attacks on our village looming on my mind, Sultana would come alive in my father’s stories. He was a real daku, unlike the criminals who terrorised us, always taking a stand against injustice.”

Still in it’s early stages, the film will be produced by London-based production house Beautiful Bay Entertainment. There were rumours that filmmaker Boney Kapoor was also set to make a film based on the dacoit, where he was to cast his son Arjun Kapoor, however not further news surfaced regarding this project.

Stay with BizAsiaLive.com for further updates.