Things appear to be progressing swiftly on Mira Nair’s next, a biopic on acclaimed 20th century painter Amrita Sher-Gil. The buzz is that the filmmaker is in talks with Tabu to feature in an extended cameo in the biopic, tentatively titled ‘Amri’. If the actor comes on board, it will mark her third collaboration with Nair after ‘The Namesake’ (2006) and ‘A Suitable Boy’ (2020).
Amrita Sher-Gil
The biopic has been in development for years, with Nair first announcing it in 2020 right after the première of ‘A Suitable Boy’. A source shares, “Mira Nair has previously spoken about spending four years persuading the market to back the period drama, which is set between 1915 and 1941, and spans India, Hungary, and France. The inclusion of a respected actor like Tabu will further up the ante.”
‘The Namesake’ and (R) ‘A Suitable Boy’
Even as there is ambiguity on who is playing the titular role, with Tanya Maniktala denying rumours of her being cast as the lead, casting for the film is reportedly scaling up. Word is that more than 15 actors from the Hindi film industry are expected to star in it. The ensemble will be locked by December, with Nair planning to roll the project by March 2026.
mid-day reached out to Tabu, who didn’t respond till press time.
