Biopic on Sahir Ludhianvi put in cold storage again?

Talks about a biopic on noted poet and lyricist Sahir Ludhianvi have been around for years now. But news about his biopic taking off are always followed by news that the plan to make the project has been dropped for some time.

Several filmmakers have expressed their desire to make a biopic on the literary great. Initially, several media outlets reported that producer Ashi Dua was set to bankroll the biopic, featuring Farhan Akhtar in the lead role. Debutante director Jasmeet Reen was rumoured to helm the project. However, things never fell into place.

Then came the news that acclaimed filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali was also working on a biopic of Ludhianvi. He was keen to cast Priyanka Chopra and Irrfan Khan in the role of Amrita Pritam and Sahir Ludhianvi respectively. Chopra was even considering to co-produce the film.

However, the project failed to take off the ground as Irrfan Khan was diagnosed with neuroendocrine tumour in 2018 and had to be admitted. This put the project put on hold. It now seems the biopic on Shahid Ludhianvi has been put in cold storage and may never get resurrected.

Well-known writer and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who was close to Ludhianvi, had earlier told a publication that if a biopic on the great poet is made, he would be happy to provide his inputs on Sahir Saab as he knew him well.

“He was a very progressive thinker, with a politically developed mind. A lucid film on his life would be very enlightening. I would be happy to provide my inputs on Sahir Saab whom I knew well,” he had said.

It will be interesting to see if the audience ever gets to see Sahir Ludhianvi’s biopic.