Vidya Balan who will be seen playing Basavatarakam, NT Rama Rao’s wife in his biopic had announced earlier this year that she will play former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in a biopic. This piece of news brought much cheer to her fans who maintained that she is the best choice to play India’s only woman Prime Minister. However, the debate arose whether Sagarika Ghose’s book Indira: India’s Most Powerful Prime Minister will be made into a film or a web series. In a chat with a leading daily the Tumhari Sulu actress revealed that given the vast scope of material the makers have decided to make it a digital show instead of a 3-hr film.

Vidya revealed that the ambitious project will be produced by Ronnie Screwvala and the team is ensuring that they do justice to the charismatic as well as the controversial leader. Vidya told the leading daily, “We have to do a lot more research. Developing the script will take longer, as there is so much information on her. We can't put a timeline as to when the project will go on floors.” Apparently, the makers of the film need not approach the Gandhi family for permission to make the biopic. Vidya said, “We don't require permission, as it's based on a book and we have the rights to it.”

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Indira Gandhi was known as the Iron Lady of India. She instituted Emergency in India which is one of the most controversial chapters of free India. She was assassinated by her two bodyguards Satwant Singh and Beant Singh who were enraged with the fact that she ordered the Indian Military to enter the Golden Temple in Amritsar under Operation Blue Star to remove militant religious leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his armed followers. She was assassinated on October 31, 1984.