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Unreeling the real story
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ANUJ KUMAR speaks to Suhaib Ilyasi, the man before whom fame and notoriety, fact and fiction seem strangely to intermingle... .
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Suhaib Ilyasi... the second innings begins. Photo: Rajeev Bhatt.
REEL SELDOM turns real but when it does, it can lead to bizarre possibilities. Ask Suhaib Ilyasi, whose life has been meandering between crests and troughs of reel and reality with dollops of incongruities in between. The man touched the pinnacle of glory with the country's first reality based crime-series, "India's Most Wanted", only to touch the abyss with his own name being added to the wanted list, when he was charged with killing his wife Anju for dowry - a death which he maintained was a suicide over his mysterious relationship with a fan.
In his quest for the crest, Suhaib is again flirting with the word wanted. This time he is coming up with "Wanted No.1", his directorial debut on the silver screen. "This is a deliberate ploy as we want to cash in on the success of "India's Most Wanted", says Suhaib.
The film is said to be based on the life of Shivprakash Shukla, the dreaded sharpshooter of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, who reached the peak of notoriety, when he allegedly accepted a supari worth Rs. 6 crores to kill the then Chief Minister of U.P., Kalyan Singh, before being eliminated in an encounter in 1998 - ironically, after Suhaib flashed Shukla's hideouts in his series. Interestingly, Suhaib, who is playing the sharpshooter in the film, is now remorseful of what he did.
"This film is a `pashchatap' as I feel guilty that a criminal got killed, but the people who made him one are enjoying the riches of power. You learn every day," he relates. But, who will play Suhaib in the film? "See, the film is only loosely based on Shukla. Basically, my attempt is to bring to light the system's rot that creates a criminal out of an innocent youth whose energies could have been channelised in a positive direction," he clarifies.
On why he donned the director's cap as his T.V. flick was known more for its real stories than for craft, Suhaib says: "It's the realism that will stand out in the film as well." But realism is not going to make the film song free. According to Suhaib, the film is just 20 percent complete. But with Sayaji Shinde and Govind Namdeo in the supporting cast and Ashima Bhalla, playing his romantic interest, why is he going to the media just after the first schedule? Is there a financial crunch? Replying in the negative, Suhaib adds: "Our budget is Rs.2.5 crores and we hope to complete it in seven months."
On the personal front, Suhaib says: "The worst is over. It was planned by people who got envious with the success of `India's Most Wanted'. That I am alive is in itself a solace. Now, I have crossed the bumper and the road ahead looks clear."
But will he share the earnings from the film with Shukla's family? The line between the two R's has only got blurred.
ANUJ KUMAR
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