Urvashi Rautela’s claim of starring in Parveen Babi biopic is ‘bogus news’?

Besides her wacky sartorial choices at Cannes, actor Urvashi Rautela’s unfounded claim of having attended the film festival for a photocall launch of her upcoming film, purportedly a biopic on yesteryear actor and pop culture icon Parveen Babi, has shocked many.

However, the absence of the makers of the said project from the photocall, raised suspicion, as did the fact tat many actors go to Cannes and just get clicked at the red carpet, even when their films are not being premiered.

Now, we have learned from several industry insiders that there is no buzz yet about a biopic on the life of the late star. “It is very clear that she is lying, and it is bogus news. There is no such project being made. There are no conversations around any such project in the trade circuit too,” says a source.

“Also, a photocall launch without anyone from the makers side is just not possible. So, Urvashi was there all by herself, there was no producer, writer, director… So what is this photocall launch? It shows how much truth is in her claim. She has not even revealed the names of the makers. She could have said that she wants to do, or is thinking of doing, but alleging that it is being made without the name of the team is definitely not credible,” the source asserts.

Another source from the trade circuit agrees to it, and mentions that it is an act to get attention. “No artiste has the power to announcement a project just like that. And something like a biopic on Parveen Babi will only get announced once the production work has begun. And that too usually comes from the director or production house’s end. Urvashi’s claim is only to get some limelight,” the insider tells us.

Till now, there is just one project which has been officially announced around the life of the yesteryear actor, and it is a mini-series based on the book by author Karishma Upadhyay. Producer Sneha Rajani, who has earlier backed films such as Piku, is associated with the project, that is still a work under progress.

As per a source close to the project, Rautela is not involved with the project in “any manner”.

“The series is being made with an A-lister director on board, and Urvashi is not being considered for the lead role. She has nothing to do with it. When she made the announcement, we got several queries about the same, and we just shrugged off the claims. She has not mentioned any detail about the project, and a photocall can’t happen just with the lead star, which shows the merit associated with her claim,” says another source attached to the project.

When we reached out to Rautela to get clarity on the makers of the film, she didn’t give any name and insisted that the project is at a very nascent stage.