Umesh Shukla on who will play the public prosecutor in Ujjwal Nikam’s biopic

After helming films such as OMG – Oh My God! (2012) and 102 Not Out (2018), and a web series Modi: Journey of a Common Man, filmmaker Umesh Shukla’s eyes are set on making a film on the life of public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam. The lawyer, who was awarded the Padma Shri by Government of India in 2016, is known to have fought high-profile cases including the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

It will be interesting to see who gets cast as Nikam. But Shukla says, “Once I lock my script, I’ll pitch it to the actors. Though I have someone in mind, my first priority is the script.”

Prod him further about who he has in mind for the role, the director dismisses it, saying, “It’s too early to say anything about the story and the casting.” However, he’s upfront about why Nikam intrigues him as a subject for a full-fledged film. “His morals, his conviction, his intelligence and his fearless attitude are qualities that attracted me to tell the story of the man behind many controversial, tough and fascinating cases fought in India,” Shukla says.

Besides, the filmmaker calls Nikam, an “avenger, who believes in justice and not in revenge.”

Nikam was associated with cases like 1993 Bombay bombings, the Gulshan Kumar murder case, the Pramod Mahajan murder case and the 2008 Mumbai attacks.

Once I lock my script, I’ll pitch it to the actors. Though I have someone in mind, my first priority is the script.

UMESH SHUKLA FILMMAKER