Filmmaker Hansal Mehta to direct web series on gangster Vikas Dubey
Mumbai: Filmmaker Hansal Mehta is set to develop and direct a web series based on gangster Vikas Dubey, who was killed in an encounter by Uttar Pradesh police last month.
Eight policemen, including DSP Devendra Mishra, were ambushed in Bikru village in Chaubeypur area of Kanpur when they were going to arrest Dubey and fell to bullets fired from rooftops shortly after midnight on July 3.
Dubey, who was carrying a reward of Rs five lakh on information leading to his arrest, was arrested from Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh on July 9.
He was killed in an encounter on the morning of July 10 when a police vehicle carrying him from Ujjain to Kanpur met with an accident and he tried to escape from the spot in Bhauti area, the police had said.
Producer Shailesh R Singh's Karma Media and Entertainment, in association with Polaroid Media, have bought the rights for the upcoming project on the gangster.
Mehta, known for directing acclaimed films like "Aligarh", "Omerta" and the National Award-winning Rajkummar Rao-starrer "Shahid", said he will approach the subject responsibly.
"It is a reflection of our times and our system where politics, crime and lawmakers form a curious nexus. It is early to discuss approach but it will be ch approached responsibly and as a fascinating recounting.
"I see an edgy political thriller emerging out of this, and it will be very interesting to tell this story," the director said in a statement.
Singh, who has backed films like "Tanu Weds Manu", "Shahid", Manoj Bajpayee-headlined "Aligarh", "Omerta" and "Judgemental Hain Kya", said he is excited to bring Dubey's life to the screen.
"I have been following the whole story quite closely through news agencies and other means, killing of eight policemen shook the nation and started the seven days trail of Vikas Dubey which finally saw him killed in an encounter.
"I thought why not tell this story to the entire nation and bring out some real facts and go to the inner depth of the great to tell this story. I am overwhelmed to tell this story and really looking forward to it," Singh said.
Prior to Dubey, five of his alleged associated were killed in separate encounters.
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VP Radhakrishnan discusses further deepening of bilateral ties with Sri Lankan President Dissanayake
Colombo (PTI): Vice President C P Radhakrishnan met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake here on Sunday and held productive discussions on further deepening the multifaceted bilateral ties, housing projects and fishermen issues between the two South Asian neighbours.
Radhakrishnan, who arrived here earlier in the day on a two-day visit, also discussed with Dissanayake the ongoing Indian project implementation in Sri Lanka with emphasis on the USD 450 million Cyclone Ditwah aid offered by India.
Accompanied by a 49-member delegation, the vice president was received at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo by Sports Minister Sunil Kumara Gamage and several other dignitaries.
Radhakrishnan’s visit is the first ever by an Indian vice president to Sri Lanka, officials said.
Radhakrishnan laid emphasis on India’s 'Neighbourhood First' policy and developmental bilateral cooperation, officials said.
“Both leaders held productive discussions on further deepening the multifaceted India–Sri Lanka ties, rooted in shared history, strong civilizational and people-to-people linkages,” according to a social media post by Radhakrishnan.
They held wide-ranging discussions on various initiatives, including the Indian housing project and projects being implemented under the USD 450 million package for areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah in Sri Lanka, including reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the most affected regions of the Indian-origin Tamil community, it added.
The two sides also discussed addressing fishermen issues in a humanitarian manner, considering the livelihoods of fishing communities on both sides.
The fishermen issue is a contentious one in the ties between India and Sri Lanka.
The Palk Strait, a narrow strip of water separating Tamil Nadu from Sri Lanka, is a rich fishing ground for fishermen from both countries.
Fishermen from both countries are arrested frequently for inadvertently trespassing into each other's waters.
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya hosted a luncheon meeting for the vice president at her official residence, Temple Trees, in Colombo.
“Both leaders shared the civilizational heritage of the two countries and discussed the importance of further strengthening bilateral ties, including people-to-people bonds,” Radhakrishnan said in a post on X.
Sri Lanka’s Leader of Opposition Sajith Premadasa also called on Radhakrishnan in Colombo and both leaders discussed further strengthening India-Sri Lanka bilateral ties.
“Sri Lanka and India are not just neighbours, we are true partners with shared history, shared challenges, and a shared future. It is time we move with greater ambition, intent and trust, to reap the benefits of this partnership for all citizens,” Premadasa said in a social media post.
He also met leaders of Sri Lankan Tamil parties and Indian Origin Tamil parties.
The Tamil parties thanked the Government of India for its efforts for the USD 450 million rehabilitation and relief package post Cyclone Ditwah, as well as other relief measures taken.
A number of memoranda of understanding between the two countries are also scheduled to be exchanged during the visit, a Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry release said.
Later in the day, the vice president also participated in a community reception organised by the Indian diaspora here during which he virtually handed over houses to beneficiaries from Tamil communities, built with assistance from the Indian government as part of the third phase of the Indian Housing Project.
With this, the total number of houses for Tamil communities will reach 50,000, and 10,000 more houses are being built in the fourth phase of the project, an official statement said.
On Monday, the vice president will travel to Nuwara Eliya, visit the Indian Housing Projects, and interact with the local Tamil community.
This visit, which follows recent high-level engagements between the two countries, is expected to further strengthen the millennia-old civilisational and people-to-people ties between India and Sri Lanka, an official statement said.
