Bollywood gets a muse in Anna

Anna Hazare may seem to be an unlikely pop icon but his crusade against corruption seems to have captured the creative imagination of Bollywood.

Inspired by the achievements of Hazare and his anti-corruption drive, filmmaker Prakash Jha is putting together Satyagraha, a movie based on a peaceful public movement against corruption.

Though the star cast is yet to be finalised, buzz is that superstar Amitabh Bachchan will play the protagonist and his character will have shades of Hazare. It is said that the movie, expected to go on floors early next year, will a marked departure from the real-life events.

Producer Madhu Mantena will be remaking a Telugu film with an anti-corruption theme.

The original, Tagore, was released in 2003 and had Chiranjeevi playing a college professor who forms a group of like-minded people to take on corrupt officials in the public and private sectors.

Industry sources said that though the film had failed at the box office, the original right-holders are asking for several crores now that Anna wave has gripped the nation.

Tagore is a remake of a 2002 Tamil film Ramanna. “The film is far more relevant today than it was when it was made seven years ago,” says Mantena who is hoping to rope in Aamir Khan for the Hindi remake.