Nawazuddin Siddiqui to essay role of Sultana Daku

Actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui will be essaying the role of Sultana Daku, a dreaded dacoit in his next film “The Confession of Sultana Daku”. London-based production house Beautiful Bay Entertainment has roped in Nawazuddin for its upcoming project.

The British production is an adaptation of the book written by Sujit Saraf, set in pre-independence India, on the life of the UP dacoit. The film is to be directed by Heeraz Marfatia, who has assisted filmmakers like Shekhar Kapur, Oscar-winning Roland Joffe.

“Nawaz has lived and dreamt stories of Sultana Daku since he was a child. In a way, he has been preparing to play this character his entire life without even knowing it,” director Heeraz Marfatia said in a statement.

Nawazuddin is equally excited about portraying the character of Sultana Daku in this British production.

“Kids today have super heroes they look up to and Sultana was a super hero to me. On dark winter nights when my family would be snug under a warm ‘razai’ (rug), with candle being the only source of light and the threat of modern dacoits in my village, Sultana would come to life in my father’s stories as the real Daku,” he said.

“Unlike these criminals who terrorised us, Sultana always took a stand,” he added. The film will be shot extensively in real locations next year.