The latest buzz is that Anil Kapoor’s role in Sanjay Gupta’s ambitious project, Mumbai Saga, has strong shades of Thackeray.
Milap Zaveri who had written the dialogues for Gupta's last film - Shootout At Wadala has been roped in to write the dialogues for Mumbai Saga! The story has been penned down by Hussain Zaidi. Interestingly Prashant Pandey, who crafted Big B's character in Sarkar Raj, has been working on the Mumbai Saga screenplay with Robin Bhatt. Amitabh Bachchan’s character in Ram Gopal Varma’s Sarkar (2005) and Sarkar Raj (20008) was also modelled on the late Bal Thackeray.
"Sanjay is working closely with Hussain and Milap and is providing valuable inputs to build the character. Besides Balasaheb, Anil’s character also borrows elements from Vasai-Virar strongman Bhai Thakur and NCP Chief Sharad Pawar" - a source close to the development revealed.
When contacted, Gupta said, “It’s too early to talk about the character since the film is still being written. But yes, it is inspired by some real politicians who were instrumental in converting Bombay to Mumbai and changing the city’s landscape.”