Ellipsis Entertainment to cast film on India’s biggest bank scam

MUMBAI: Further to the wide acclaim received for its recent releases, “Do Aur Do Pyaar” and “Sharmajee Ki Beti”, Ellipsis Entertainment, known to push the boundaries in its choice of cinematic subjects, is embarking on an untitled movie based on the infamous 1971 scam where a State Bank of India branch in Delhi was conned for a large sum of money by an alleged double agent, Rustom Nagarwala.

The untitled film will delve deep into one of the most sensational scams in India's banking history, investigated by a team of Delhi police offers, led by the then SHO of Chanakya Puri, Hari Dev Kaushal. Hari Dev belonged to a batch of police personnel who were not only exceptional at their work but benevolent. Affectionately addressed as Panditji, when he passed away at 91, he went down in police annals as a solid officer who broke the mould.

Hari Dev Kaushal, incidentally, happens to be the father of screen actors, Rahul Dev and Mukul Dev. It does not get better that Mukul himself, who authored Hansal Mehta’s ‘Omerta’, is on board the writing block along with Suprotim Sengupta and Kunal Aneja, having researched the case extensively through primary and secondary sources.

Ellipsis is casting for the role of Hari Dev Kaushal, followed by an ensemble cast which is set to bring depth and authenticity to the several characters who were crucial to the case.

Said Ellipsis partner Tanuj Garg, “As a huge fan of the espionage genre, I was intrigued to read about the case, which continues to remain shrouded in mystery. Several people associated with the probe, including the primary suspect, kept dying within months of the incident. We can’t wait to lock our cast and go into shoot soon.”

Atul Kasbekar added, “My first photographic assignments in 1990 were with Rahul and Mukul Dev who are also personal friends. I had the good fortune of personally interacting with their father, Hari Dev Ji, extensively. It’s poetic that he is the hero of this compelling story.”