Nawazuddin Siddiqui to play Bal Thackeray in upcoming biopic?

In a surprise, actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been linked with the lead role in a biopic on the late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray.

According to the DNA newspaper, the film will be produced by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut and directed by former Shiv Sena man Abhijit Panse, now with the breakaway Maharashtra Navnirman Sena.

The film's teaser will be unveiled on 21 December. Online publication The Quint posted the image of an invitation which stated that Amitabh Bachchan will be launching the teaser. As per the DNA report, Siddiqui has refused to comment on the project, asking everyone to wait for an official announcement. 

Raut, Panse and Siddiqui did not respond to any questions from Cinestaan.com either. A source close to the project said the film is definitely in the pipeline and Siddiqui will play Thackeray. The Quint also reported that actors Akshay Kumar and Irrfan Khan were previously approached for the role.

The choice of Siddiqui, a Muslim, playing the role of the self-styled 'Hindu hriday samrat' (ruler of Hindu hearts) is a surprise. Earlier this year, Shiv Sena members in Uttar Pradesh had objected to Siddiqui taking part in the Ramlila in his native district Muzaffarnagar.

Characters based on Thackeray have been seen before on screen. Amitabh Bachchan’s character Subhash Nagre in Ram Gopal Varma's Sarkar franchise was famously one of them. The Marathi film Zenda (2010) was also based on the rivalry between the Shiv Sena and its offshoot, the MNS.