Positive spin earns film Radia nod

Corporate lobbyist Niira Radia who entered mainstream television channels for her alleged role in the 2G spectrum scam, will now be brought to life on the big screen. Radia has finally given the go ahead for a film project that is loosely based on her and her role in the Rs1.76 lakh crore scam.

2G Radia-tion, which was announced in December last year by the UK-based Hiten Group, was stalled after Radia’s lawyers sent the producers a notice. “They were worried the film will present Radia in a negative light. But their doubts were put to rest after we discussed the storyline with them and made some minor changes in the script,” said Manoj Nandwana, the movie’s Indian line producer.

Now that the legal hassles are over, the makers have ambitious plans for their film. They have roped in Loveleen Tandan, co-director of the Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire, as director. The film’s star cast includes Dev Patel, Mahie Gill and Rajat Kapoor, with starlet Poonam Jhawar playing the protagonist. The producers are in talks with Tisca Chopra for an important role.

The film will trace Radia’s life as a young working professional who worked her way up the corporate ladder and went on to grab national headlines after the 2G scam was exposed. “Hers is an interesting career graph. It will make an interesting celluloid story of a strong and independent woman caught in the midst of intrigue, power play and exploitation,” said Jhawar. He added that the storyline will not be an entirely true account of Radia’s life but will contain elements of fiction.

2G Radia-tion is not the only film to have irked Radia and her lawyers. Earlier this year, she had gotten a stay order from the Delhi high court on another Hindi film Monica - The Politics of Murder which was said to have borrowed elements from her life and the 2G scam. The film was cleared for screening after producer Kush Bhargava clarified that the protagonist was inspired by several real women including slain journalist Shivani Bhatnagar and Lucknow-based poetess Madhumita Sharma who was also murdered.

Industry insiders claim that another role inspired by Radia will be played by Raveena Tandon in Sanjay Dutt’s forthcoming film Alert.