Shoojit Sircar’s upcoming directorial biopic Sardar Udham Singh has been creating a lot of buzz for some time. While Vicky Kaushal was announced to be playing the titular lead role, speculations were being made about the female lead.
All the unofficial reports and speculations have come to an end today as the lead actress herself has clarified today. Banita Sandhu who was seen with Varun Dhawan in October is playing the part of female lead. Interestingly, October was also directed by Shoojit Sircar.
An absolute honour to be roped in to play Shaheed Udham Singh, in his biopic to be directed by @shoojitsircar sir… Can’t wait for this journey to start next month. Produced by Ronnie Lahiri.
ਵਾਹਿਗੁਰੂ 🙏 pic.twitter.com/ub1aUy9HwS— Vicky Kaushal (@vickykaushal09) March 4, 2019
Bollywood Hungama quotes the actress as saying, “Yes I am in Sardar Udham Singh. We shot for it in Punjab. Vicky Kaushal is amazing and it was great to be back working with the October team again.”
After giving a memorable performance in October, the British-born actress went on to do an American TV series called Pandora and was later seen in Diljit Dosanjh’s music video Jind Mahi.
Here's the first look… Vicky Kaushal in and as #SardarUdhamSingh… Directed by Shoojit Sircar… Written by Ritesh Shah and Shubendu Bhattacharya… Produced by Ronnie Lahiri and Sheel Kumar… 2020 release. pic.twitter.com/HnbTirrbiY
— taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) April 30, 2019
She then shot for her Kollywood debut Adithya Varma which releases in a few months. The project is the Tamil remake of Vijay Devarakonda’s controversial Arjun Reddy and marks the showbiz debut of South superstar Vikram’s son Dhruv.
Talking about her role in the Tamil remake, Banita said, “I haven’t watched the final film yet, so I wouldn’t be able to say how my role has shaped up. But Vikram sir and I worked to give my character more agency and autonomy in the film. I hope that gets translated on screen.”
Coming back to Sardar Udham Singh, the film is a biographical drama based on the life of revolutionary freedom fighter Udham Singh who is best known for his assassination of Michael O’Dwyer in London on 13 March 1940.
He killed the former lieutenant governor of the Punjab in revenge for the Jallianwala Bagh massacre in Amritsar in 1919. For the assassination, he was subsequently tried and convicted of murder and was hanged in July 31, 1940.