It’s official. Madhur Bhandarkar’s next is neither ‘Fashion 2’ (an idea he had only toyed with) nor ‘Aashiqui 2’. Nor is Bhandarkar taking up Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s idea of remaking the South blockbuster ‘Ramana’ in Hindi. Bhandarkar’s next after ‘Heroine’ will be a political thriller set against the politics in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. The filmmaker has zeroed down on two heroines for the project- Vidya Balan and Priyanka Chopra for the politician’s role. A close friend of the filmmaker said, “Vidya would suit the role of the mature politician to the T. And after working with Priyanka, Bhandarkar has developed a very good professional rapport with her as well. So let’s see which girl wins the race.” The character is that of a very vulnerable woman from North India, who, in a span of five years, grows into a bold and conniving woman to survive in the cut-throat political world. She will be clad in sarees for most part of the film. Explaining why Bhandarkar is not going ahead with Bhansali’s offer, the friend said, “Madhur does not believe in remakes. He did consider Bhansali’s offer, which came about 15 days ago, but decided against it. So ‘Ramana’ is ruled out.” The political thriller in question will roll in December 2012. “Right now, Bhandarkar is very busy with ‘Heroine’ which hits the theatres in September 14.”
