Tabu is not Sushma Swaraj

The actress denies being offered the role to play the external affairs minster in Uzma Ahmed biopic

Recently a Mumbai tabloid reported that NationalAward winning actress Tabu has been approached by filmmaker Dhiraj Kumar to play External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in the Uzma Ahmed biopic. Dismissing these reports, Tabu issued an official statement clarifying that she has never been approached by anyone for such a role.

“I have no idea why filmmakers who have not approached me give out false news of my being approached for their movies when I have not even been contacted or made aware of a certain project,”

The Fitoor actress also said that the production house is using her name to create a hype for this project. “This has also happened in the past. In fact, in some cases, some really big and established production houses have taken the liberty of using my name for a project without as much as my consent. I think this is clearly done to hype their projects and to create insecurity amongst other actresses who may be approached for the role. This is a poor practice and people should stop using my name in vain,” says Tabu. Tabu also said that the tabloid never even tried to get in touch with her to confirm

the news. “Honestly it shows them (filmmakers) in poor light when I issue a denial like this. Unfortunately they leave me with no choice because no one has bothered to even check with me,’’ she added.

The movie follows the story of Uzma Ahmed who met Tahir Ali, a Pakistani citizen, in Malaysia. She travelled to his home in Pakistan on May 1, only to find that Ali had four children. What followed was a wedding at gunpoint and a subsequent escape to the Indian High Commission. Once Ahmed’s credentials as an Indian national were confirmed, embassy officials, under Sushma Swaraj’s guidance approached Islamabad High Court on May 12. Ahmed returned to India on May 25.

The report also stated that Bollywood actress Parineeti Chopra and Taapsee Pannu are being considered for the role of Uzma Ahmed.