Srinath Rajendran is a filmmaker known for his Malayalam thrillers with a punch, who will make his Bollywood debut with an Indian film based on the life of Dhani Ram Mittal, India’s greatest conman and master forger.
The movie director has gained recognition by creating films like ‘Kurup’ which was acted by Dulquer Salmaan and ‘Koothara’ which starred Mohanlal among others; now he is bringing this narrative style to Bollywood in a fascinating biographical drama.
Film-maker Srinath Rajendran makes Hindi film debut with con artist Dhani Ram Mittal
The forthcoming untitled project is based on ‘MoneyRam’, a book co-written by Preeti Aggarwal and Chetan Unniyal. The publication explores the remarkable life and times of Dhani Ram Mittal alias Junior Natwarlal, one of the world’s most audacious fakesters that ever lived whose criminal spree ran over 45 years from 1969 till April 2024 when he passed away. This book tells about Mittal’s adventures in swindling people through fake documents, showing “how strange truth can be”.
In his last film, Srinath Rajendran’s Kurup (2021), became one of the most successful Malayalam movies, and it was based on a true story of Sukumara Kurup who is the most notorious absconder in Kerala since 1984 having been accused of murder for faking his death in order to claim an insurance amounting to ₹8 lakhs.
As Rajendran is known for his interest in this genre of thrillers he again chose an exciting plot line for the entry into Bollywood. When talking about the project, he said, “Cinema today transcends borders and languages. I am thrilled to embark on this new journey in Hindi cinema. His name is Dhani Ram Mittal aka MoneyRam; probably the most engrossing con artist in present-day Indian history whose story should be told on a big screen.”
The movie script for this film has already been started and they plan to begin shooting early next year. The production by Insomnia Media and Content Services Limited will be filmed in Hindi with Hindi release as well as Malayalam and Telugu with an aim at Pan-Indian audience. However, details like cast are still kept undercover.