Irrfan Khan photo

With the principal casting more or less complete – we are not sure if Hugh Grant will play the role of Lord Mountbatten, though – what we have is a sterling crew.

Indian Summer will be directed by Atonement director, Joe Wright, and penned by Gladiator writer William Nicholson.

Now that the Indian government has cleared the script of the film, on the condition that it is subject to approval, the movie is likely to go into production in early 2010.

Indian Summer will be produced by Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan with Hilary Bevan Jones.

Indian Summer is based on Alex von Tunzelmann’s book Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire.

The movie will revolve around the relationship between Lady Mountbatten, wife of the last governor general of India, and Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister.

Jawaharlal Nehru’s niece Nayantara Sehgal and the Mountbatten family have denied that the Nehru and Lady Mountbatten had an affair, in 1947.

Irrfan Khan was last seen in the 2009 Billu and New York. The actor has an impressive bibliography with movies like The Warrior, Namesake, Slumdog Millionaire, Maqbool, and Haasil.

The actor’s next release is Acid Factory, in October 2009, followed by Hisss with Mallika Sherawat in 2010.

Cate Blanchett as Katherine Hepburn in The Aviator

In March 2009, Variety had reported that Joe Wright (Atonement, The Soloist) will direct Indian Summer.

Indian Summer will be written by William Nicholson (Gladiator). The producers of Indian Summer are Eric Fellner and Tim Bevan with Hilary Bevan Jones.

The movie is based on the book “Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire” by Alex von Tunzelmann.

Indian Summer will portray the summer of 1947 when India won Independence and the British were evicted.

It was in 1947 that Lord Mountbatten, the last governor general of India, came to India, accompanied by his wife Lady Edwina Mountbatten, to hand over power to Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first prime minister.

Photo: Indian Summer: The Secret History of the End of an Empire cover

There have always been rumors about the alleged love affair between Lady Edwina Mountbatten and Jawaharlal Nehru. It is likely that Indian Summer will explore the relationship between the two as well.

While the Mountbatten family denied the allegations of the romance, later Lady Mountbatten’s daughter, Lady Pamela Hicks, did confirm the relationship in her book – India Remembered – that she co-wrote with her daughter, India Hicks.

She has written in the book that the alleged love affair between Jawaharlal Nehru and Lady Edwina Mountbatten started in 1947, during a trip to Mashobra, a hill station in Himachal Pradesh, in India.

She also clarified that the two did not have a physical relationship.

Indian Summer will go on the floors in 2010.

Academy-award winning actress Cate Blanchett will be next seen in Ridley Scott’s Robin Hood (it was earlier titled Nottingham) starring Russell Crowe.

Hugh Grant who was last seen in the rom com Music & Lyrics will be next seen in Did You Hear About the Morgans?, which will released later in 2009.