Saif Ali Khan roped in to play JP Singh, diplomat who aided Uzma Ahmed's return to India

It was earlier reported that filmmakers Sameer Dixit, Jatish Varma and Girish Johar are presently working on a film based on Uzma Ahmed, a Delhi-based resident who made headlines in 2017 when she was allegedly duped and forced to marry Pakistani resident Tahir Ali at gunpoint. A new report in Pune Mirror states that Sacred Games star Saif Ali Khan has been roped in to play Indian diplomat JP Singh, the then-Deputy High Commissioner posted in Islamabad.

Saif Ali Khan. News 18 image

Singh played a crucial role in bringing back Uzma to India under the supervision of then-External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. The publication quoted a source as saying, “When the team met for a narration Saif instantly liked the script. He has agreed to be a part of the project and will be sporting a very different look in the film, which is expected to roll in February-March next year. The makers are currently looking to cast an A-list actress to play Uzma."

Ritesh Shah (whose credits include films like Piku, Batla House, Sardar Udham Singh) is adapting the story for the silver screen, while Naam Shabana director Shivam Nair is set to direct.

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According to Ahmed, she met a Pakistani man, Tahir Ali, in Malaysia where she fell in love with him and went to meet him in Pakistan where she discovered he was a father of four children. Tahir not only forced her at gunpoint to marry him but also sexually assaulted her. She somehow managed to approach the Indian High Commission to come to her rescue. It was on 25 May, 2017, when Ahmed was brought back to India through government intervention.

As reported by Mid-Day, Ahmed says her film will be also be a tribute to the External Affairs Minister, Sushma Swaraj. "I have met Sushmaji many times after my return. I don't think I would be alive without her support," Ahmed said. Swaraj, who was personally involved in facilitating Ahmed’s return from Pakistan, will have an important character in the film.