Katrina Kaif as Sonia Gandhi in Rajneeti?

Media reports say that Katrina Kaif is likely to play a character based on Congress President Sonia Gandhi, in Prakash Jha’s forthcoming political thriller, Rajniti.

The movie is said to be a modern-day interpretation of the Mahabharata. Update: Rajneeti Telecast four weeks after movie release

Prakash Jha has denied that Katrina’s role is anything of the sort. Even if it is so, he can hardly say admit that it is.

It is very possible that Katrina’s role is not based on that of Sonia Gandhi.

Katrina’s look in Rajniti may be similar to that of Sonia Gandhi, but that doesn’t automatically mean that her character would be the same.

And, how can there not be a similarity in the look if you put two good looking women, one an Italian and the other half-British, in crisp no-nonsense cotton sarees, no embellishments, and a pronounced accent to boot?

Photo: Sonia Gandhi with Rajiv Gandhi

Photo: Katrina Kaif in a production still of Rajniti

But it is also possible that Katrina Kaif’s role may be loosely based on Sonia’s life, if the movie itself uses the Gandhi family’s life as a political backdrop.

Rajniti is a modern-day adaptation of the Mahabharata, so it may play on the Gandhi bahu (Sona vs Maneka) saga; God knows, there is enough drama there to power an entire film.

Rajniti stars Ajay Devgan, Ranbir Kapoor, Arjun Rampal, Priyanka Chopra, Nana Patekar, and Manoj Bajpai. The movie will also star Naseeruddin Shah in a cameo role, that of a leftist leader of a people’s movement.

Prakash Jha has said that Ajay Devgan will play a character based on Karn, and Nana Patekar that of Krishna. The character of Arjun will be played by Ranbir Kapoor and is said to be loosely inspired by Rajiv Gandhi’s life. If the movie is loosely based on the Gandhi family, then it is likely that Arjun Rampal’s character will be derived from that of Sanjay Gandhi and Priyanka Chopra’s character from that of Maneka Gandhi.

Rajniti, written and directed by Prakash Jha, is set for a September 2009 release.

Prakash Jha is known for his hard-hitting political movies like Apaharan (2005), Gangaajal (2003), Mrityudand (1997), and Damul (1984), with the exception of Dil Kya Kare (1999), which is more of a socio-romantic drama and Hip Hip Hurray (1983), a feel-good sport movie.

Ajay Devgan has starred in three of Prakash Jha’s movies so far, Gangaajal, Apaharan, and Dil Kya Kare.