Kiran Bedi's biopic will talk about her 'departmental punishment'
The life of Kiran Bedi, India's first female Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, is set to be depicted in a biographical drama. The film, titled Bedi: The Name You Know. The Story You Don't, will be directed by Kushaal Chawla and is slated for release in 2025. It will trace Bedi's journey from becoming the first female IPS officer to her strong anti-corruption stance throughout her iconic 35-year career. In a new interview, Bedi talked about the film's subject.
Bedi's approval and involvement in the biopic
The film will focus on how her prison reforms in Delhi's Tihar Jail were a hit and yet she was removed from her position. In an interview with Mid-Day, Bedi disclosed, "I know who was behind it all [her removal from her post] and why it was done, which I will tell through this film. When [my efforts] got high visibility, I got the Ramon Magsaysay Award. [At the same time], I was getting departmentally punished."
Casting for lead role yet to be decided
The casting for the lead role in the biopic is still undecided. Per Chawla, "We have a few actors in mind, but no one has been shortlisted." Bedi added, "She will have to [study] all the mannerisms, sport short hair, adopt my way of dressing and gestures." Though Bedi was approached for her biopic several times, she only nodded in 2020, saying, "I was impressed to know that Kushaal had been researching for four years."
Film release to coincide with International Women's Year
The release of the biopic is set to coincide with the 50th anniversary of International Women's Year in 2025. Bedi's life and career were previously documented in the 2008 documentary Kiran Bedi: Yes Madam, Sir, directed by Megan Doneman. The film provides an in-depth look at Bedi's life and explores her tenure as the Inspector General of Prisons in Tihar Jail and her subsequent entry into politics.
