Nawazuddin Siddiqui and his wife Aaliya Siddiqui are producing a biopic about award-winning folk singer Teejan Bai, reported Bombay Times. Details of the cast and crew are yet to be confirmed and the film is in the scripting stage, the report said.
In an interview to the publication, the Sacred Games and Manto actor said he will also be creatively involved in the project. “Teejan Bai is a legend and we hope we can make this film relevant, not just for the film festivals, but also the audience in general,” he said.
Teejan Bai, who was given the Padma Vibushan in 2019, is a renowned exponent of Pandavani, a folk art from Chhattisgarh which involves narrations and performances from the Indian epic Mahabharata.
Aaliya Siddiqui told Bombay Times that she wishes to see Amitabh Bachchan as Teejan Bai’s grandfather in the film. “Interestingly, we discovered that Amitabhji’s legendary father Harivansh Rai Bachchan was also an admirer of Teejanji,” she said. “Amitji had also invited amma [Teejan Bai] to his home on his birthday.”
Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s upcoming films include Ritesh Batra’s Photograph, which was premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month. His last release was Thackeray, a biopic on Shiv Sena founded Bal Thackeray.
