British Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Minister for Women Patricia Hewitt Friday unveiled plans for a film on Congress president Sonia Gandhi.

The plans for "Sonia" come almost one year after Hewitt announced the UK's "Bollywood Initiative" allowing British investment in Bollywood cinema.

Directed by Jagmohan Mundra and produced by Sunanda Murli Manohar of CEE (I) TV UK, the film will begin with Sonia's renunciation of India's prime ministership.

It will then go back to her early days in Orbassano, her romance with Rajiv Gandhi, the Gandhi family's initial opposition to their marriage and her relationship with Indira Gandhi.

Since the film is based on an unauthorised biography of Gandhi, the producers have not approached her for approval.

"Right now it will be difficult to comment if the story will be completely based on the book as we may add some fiction to it. I just want to say the book is brilliant and we are ready to make a good film on it," tells Sunanda.

The casting for this film is yet to be made. "We are open to the idea of both an Asian artiste as well as an international artiste. Since her life is based in India, we might have someone from India to play the pivotal character of Sonia," he adds.

"The movie got delayed for more than one year as the publishing rights of the book from Penguin had to be sorted out," said Sunanda.

Director Mundhra said: "The subject was interesting and it would have not been so exciting without this book. It makes things easier for me as the book itself is so well written.

"I'm sure the expectations too would be high. We would not have any controversies, as this movie is not about politics but the life of a person and the book has done quite well and has not created any controversy."

Writer Rasheed Kidwai feels the film will surely have commercial value.

"But I'm sure they will stick to the spirit of this book. I, being a journalist who closely covered the Congress, did interact with her on several occasions," Rashid said.

"To know a personality well, you also have to meet the people working with her and that's why I even interacted with her close associates. But since this book is an unauthorised biography on her, we have not discussed the movie with Sonia Gandhi," says Kidwai.