Patricia Hewitt to unveil plans for British-Indian co-production

Patricia Hewitt, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Minister for Women, is to unveil plans for a film on Indian Congress President Sonia Gandhi at the JW Marriott, Mumbai, India on Friday January 14 2005.
The world launch of 'Sonia' comes almost one year after the Mrs Hewitt announced the UK’s ‘Bollywood Initiative’ allowing British investment in Bollywood cinema. The scheme was introduced by MATV, Leicester, in association with CEE(I) TV Entertainment UK Limited and supported by Mars Entertainment Group and by Motion Pictures Partners International Limited UK, and has made a vast difference to the perception of Bollywood in the UK and allowed British investment to soar.
A new agreement will unveil plans for a slate of six films this year in association with Britain-based production houses and CEE(I) TV Entertainment in India. The first film to be released in Spring 2005 will be 'Ramji London Wale' with the Sonia Gandhi biopic due for release later on this year.
Sonia will be based on journalist Rasheed Kidwai’s book 'Sonia – A Biography' (Penguin). The film will detail her early days in the Italian town Orbassano, her days in Cambridge, romance with Rajiv Gandhi, her time with Indira Gandhi and her act of renouncing the job of prime minister in May 2004.
It will be a fitting tribute to a remarkable lady and one of the biggest and most exciting cinematic projects in 2005.
(GB)