Ranbir Kapoor not approached yet for Udham Singh biopic, says director Shoojit Sircar

Mumbai: Filmmaker Shoojit Sircar has denied signing actor Ranbir Kapoor for his upcoming biopic on revolutionary Udham Singh. [caption id=“attachment_3266186” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Ranbir has not been signed on for the Udham Singh biopic, filmmaker Shoojit Sircar said[/caption] The film is based on Singh, who shot dead Michael O’Dwyer, the former Lieutenant Governor of Punjab in British India in 1940, to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. He was later hanged by the British Government. There were reports that Ranbir will play the martyr in the film. Asked about the same, Shoojit told reporters, “I don’t know about this news, where has this come from.” Shoojit had previously said of why he wanted to make the Udham Singh film: “He was one of the prominent faces of the freedom movement but youngsters don’t know much about this martyr. He is a forgotten hero. Through my film, I want the youngsters to know him." Shoojit was speaking at the launch of the song “Mannerless Majnu” from his upcoming production Runningshaadi.com. The filmmaker said when director Amit Roy approached him with the romantic-comedy he instantly related with it. “I’ve helped a lot of friends elope. I can’t tell you how much fun it is. But one has to be prepared to hear lots of abuses too. You have to co-ordinate everything. What time to reach, where to meet….” The filmmaker says though the movie is light and comic, the issue they are dealing with is serious. “When I was reading it (the script) I thought these are the problems we have faced. It may be a light film but it’s a serious issue in small towns. There have been instances where people who have gotten married and have been separated…” Runningshaadi.com, starring Taapsee Pannu and Amit Sadh in the lead, is scheduled to release on 17 February.