No copping out from the truth

Kiran Bedi

Hindi cinema is populated with stories about super cops. Oddly, the story of one of India's most celebrated cops, Kiran Bedi, was missing from the big screen. Now, director Kushaal Chawla is set to make Bedi: The Name You Know, The Story You Don't. Her life has all the material for a gripping biopic - from her being the Indian Police Service's first female officer, to her staunch anti-corruption stance over her 35-year career. But the thrust will be on her policing career, including how she introduced prison reforms in Delhi's Tihar Jail, why she was removed from her post despite her relentless work, and her multiple postings.

Bedi tells us, "I know who was behind it all and why it was done, which I will tell through this film. No one was bothered about prison reforms at the time because it was like a punishment posting. When [my efforts] got high visibility, I got the Ramon Magsaysay Award. [At the same time], I was getting departmentally punished. Kushaal is fascinated by my work as a police officer, whether it is tackling crime, my work in the traffic department and prisons, and my UN assignment."

While she was often approached for biopics, it was only in 2020 that the then-Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry felt ready. "I was impressed to know that Kushaal had been researching for four years."
The big question is: who will play the former top cop? Kushaal says, "We have a few actors in mind, but no one has been shortlisted." Bedi adds, "She will have to [study] all the mannerisms, sport short hair, adopt my way of dressing and gestures."