Mumbai: The journey of making a biopic on India’s first astronaut Rakesh Sharma has been tumultuous but screenwriter Anjum Rajabali says he is confident that the inspiring story will eventually find its way to the screen.
The writer, best known for films such as “Ghulam”, “Pukar”, “The Legend of Bhagat Singh” and “Raajneeti”, first stepped in as a script mentor for the film titled “Saare Jahan Se Achha” and later took up the mantle of writing the full script.
The biopic, as per media reports, will be directed by Mahesh Mathai and co-produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur and Ronnie Screwvala.
Rajabali said Aamir Khan was the actor to be approached for “Saare Jahan Se Achha” after the script work was finished.
“After the first narration, he (Aamir) said, ‘I would like to do this’. Then we began discussing it and he liked it for the very things that I have found interesting. Then whatever happened, I cannot go into the details…” Rajabali told reporters here.
Aamir eventually stepped down from the film and pointed the writer to fellow superstar Shah Rukh Khan for the role of Sharma, who made history by becoming the first Indian citizen to reach space on April 3, 1984 in the Soviet rocket Soyuz T-11.
“(With Aamir) it was not about the script. It’s a script he loved and which is why he picked up the phone and spoke to Shah Rukh, and said, ‘You must do this film. I’m sending Anjum to you, listen to the script, you will like it’ Then Shah Rukh also resonated with it. He said yes, ‘This kind of mature character which was there, that was appealing’,” Rajabali recounted.
Not just the two Khans, actors like Hrithik Roshan and Vicky Kaushal also listened to the film’s script.
“Various actors heard it, like Ranbir, Vicky Kaushal, Hrithik Roshan and Shahid Kapoor. Some of them liked it but for some reason it didn’t work out. Some of them had some issues with the maturity of the character because they didn’t want to play that (role) at that stage.
“It (the biopic) just kept getting jinxed. Then Netflix got interested in that and a rewrite was done based on what Netflix was concerned about but I am not so sure (about it now)” he said.
Rajabali was speaking on the sidelines of the 7th edition of the Indian Screenwriters Conference (ISC), hosted by the Screenwriters Association of India (SWA).
The writer, who is the executive committee member of SWA, said producer Roy Kapur is optimistic about making the biopic despite the numerous setbacks.
“Whenever I speak with Siddharth, he still seems, not just hopeful but confident. He says, one way or the other, I will get it made. He has invested a lot of money. He has paid me, then we engaged another writer, he must have been paid.
“It is a story which doesn’t get dated because we are talking about a period of 1969 to 1985. So, that period is not changing whether we make it in 2015 or in 2025 the relevance remains,” he added.
In 2021, Roy Kapur said the story is close to his heart and that it is not shelved.
“The film will definitely be made. It is a project that is close to our heart. We would not like to say anything till we go on floors,” Roy Kapur, known for ‘Dangal’, ‘Haider’, ‘Barfi’, and ‘Kai Po Che!’, had told reporters here.
Over the years, Rajabali has met and interacted with Sharma numerous times. The two eventually became friends and the writer said he is enamoured by the former astronaut’s “risk-taking” ability.
“What was wonderful about him is that, on the one hand, he is a very clean-hearted person and yet there is a heroic spirit. He is so tenacious that if he takes something on and he makes a commitment to that, he will ensure that he does it,” he said.
In a biopic, Rajabali said the challenge often lies in dramatising the true essence of a person while remaining faithful to their story.
“It becomes difficult to write a story about a modest person because everything is calm about it. There is nothing, there is no drama. So, you need to be able to generate certain drama by provoking the character with difficult situations. So, all that was rather interesting and exciting for me to do.”
