Los Angeles: After making Provoked, director Jagmohan Mundhra has announced his next film Shoot On Sight, based on the July 7, 2005, suicide bombings on London's transport system that left 52 people dead.
Although the storyline is mostly fictional, several incidents are based on real events like the London police shooting down Brazilian Jean Charles de Menezes, suspected of being a terrorist but later found to be innocent.
In the script, however, the person shot dead is a Muslim boy. As soon as the police realise their mistake, they attempt to cover it up and recruit a Muslim officer to serve as spokesman for the case.
According to Mundhra, the role of the policeman is based on Metropolitan Police Assistant Commissioner Tarique Ghaffur.
"I noticed after July 7 that Ghaffur's presence was seen a lot on TV, addressing the media on behalf of Scotland Yard so I did go and meet him," he said. "But the character in my film is fictional," Mundhra said here.
The director also met with two passengers who were in one of the trains when the bombs went off. Though he did not meet the families of the suicide bombers, he said he wanted his film to show both sides of the tragedy.
"The fact is that there is a silent majority of Muslims who are not fundamentalist and they need a role model. They need a character to represent them and that is the lead actor of my film."
"The circumstances force him to take one way but he chooses the right path."
Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan was Mundhra's first choice to play the policeman.
"Amitabh Bachchan loved the script. We talked about the 'look' of the character and after that all communication from his office stopped suddenly.
"I tried to contact him through emails and letters but there was no response. Not even like 'No, I am not doing it' or 'Sorry, I can't fit' nothing. I presumed something had changed."
The role was then offered to Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri has been cast to play a fundamentalist Muslim imam.
British actors Greta Scacchi and Claire Bloom have also agreed to star in the roles of Shah's wife and mother respectively. The film will go on floors in May and is expected to be released next year, Mundhra said.
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