Before Kangana Ranaut’s Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi, Biopic On Rani Laxmibai, It Seems An International Project On The Same Subject Might Beat Her To The Finish Line
Kangana Ranaut may be gung-ho about Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi, her ambitious biopic on Rani Laxmibai, but it seems an international project on the same subject might beat her to the finish line. Swords And Sceptres, an Indo-British film on the warrior queen directed by Swati Bhise, which kicked off its shoot in October last year, is eyeing a March release. On the other hand, Ranaut’s film is currently in its last leg of shooting and is slated to hit screens on April 27.
A unit hand from the Rupert Everett and Derek Jacobi-starrer reveals, “The shoot wrapped up in December and the film is currently in post-production in London. The film’s war sequences are mounted on a large scale and need a fair amount of visual effects work. The VFX team has been given a deadline of February end. If they meet the deadline, the movie will release before Kangana’s biopic.”
Swati’s period drama sees her daughter Devika Bhise essaying the feisty queen. An American actor of Indian origin, Devika was previously seen in The Man Who Knew Infinity (2017). Swati is unperturbed that Ranaut – who presumably has more star power to draw the audience in India – is headlining a film on the same subject. She says, “I’m aware that another biopic is being made on the Queen of Jhansi, which has a big Bollywood star featuring in it. But there’s enough room for more movies on her.”
