Film shock for Sania

G.S. RADHAKRISHNA

Hyderabad, May 31: Shoaib Malik’s country used to be the butt of mother-in-law jokes. Now with the Pakistani cricketer poised to make his sasural famous for its sons-in-law, wife Sania Mirza has failed to see the funny side. The tennis star is upset that a Bollywood producer has launched a film titledHyderabadi Damaad (Hyderabad’s son-in-law), avowedly based on the controversies surrounding the Sania-Shoaib marriage. “I am surprised to read in newspapers that a director is making a film on me and my marriage without even telling me,” said Sania, back here after a few weeks in Dubai and Pakistan, a country that English cricketer Ian Botham once said people should send their mothers-in-law too. “I want the director to make it clear to his viewers that the film is just a fictional account based on his imagination,” Sania said. Small-time filmmaker P.D. Garg, who had announced his plans to shoot the movie last weekend, has promised a “masaledaar (spicy) pot-boiler”. He has been quoted as saying the film will draw on Ayesha Siddiqui’s claim that she was married to Shoaib, and also explore the circumstances leading to Sania’s break-up with Sohrab Mirza. Shooting is to start in Hyderabad by the end of July. Sania said: “It’s rather strange that I have not even been approached by the filmmakers. Nor have they sought my permission. How can they (do this)? “It’s a shame if the director is relying on distorted information he has picked up through inaccurate media coverage and Bollywood gossip.” Filmdom’s rumour mills had once linked Sania to actor Shahid Kapoor. Sania’s father Imran Mirza and mother Naseema flew to Mumbai soon after the news of Garg’s film broke. A source close to the family said the Mirzas have approached their friends in Bollywood to try and persuade the producer to drop the movie, or at least make it less spicy. Garg has said that Debina Bonnerjee, the Sita of NDTV Imagine’s Ramayan, will play the character inspired by Sania. Jai Prakash is the director and the cast includes Amar Upadhyay and Ali Merchant. Bollywood sources said the producer and writer had already had sittings with Ayesha Siddiqui at her home in Saudi Arabia, and that the script would be ready soon.