Film of Nepal massacre proposed

The massacre was followed by 10 days of mourning

Veteran Indian film star and director Dev Anand is proposing to film the story of the June massacre of Nepal's royal family.

Anand, 76, often known as "the evergreen hero", is a respected stalwart of the Indian film industry but his suggestion may raise eyebrows in India, Nepal and beyond.

For an Indian film you have to put songs - for the international market we can always cut them out

Dev Anand

Dev Anand spoke to the BBC from his home in Bombay, India and explained why he has chosen such an awkward subject.

"I have been very close to the royalty in Nepal, I have been very close to the present king, I have been very close to the people of Nepal.

"In fact I was there when the murdered king was getting married - I was the only Indian invited beside the president of India - and this stirred me, it gave me a lot of emotions.

"I've already shot a movie there called Hare Rama Hare Krishna and I think I want to do a story inspired from this incident."

Believable fantasy'

Anand brushes aside concerns that the Bollywood values would be inappropriate for the sensitive subject matter.

"It's a full length feature film, it's a great story of murder, and you'll see all of what happened that you read in the newspapers plus a bit of fantasy, that has to be there - believable fantasy.

"And for an Indian film you have to put songs - for the international market we can always cut them out."

The director says he would not challenge the Nepali inquiry finding that Crown Price Dipendra was the murderer: "This is what the world believes, what every magazine has said, what the royalty has also said - we can't say anything else, because I don't want to give any political colour to the picture."

Controversy

Anand is confident that he can handle the likely controversy about the film - indeed that he could take on other assassination dramas, such as the stories of the assassinations of Indian prime minsters Indira and Rajiv Gandhi:

"I think I could. If I wanted to I would, and I would please the whole world because the facts are there for the world to see.

"I think people would love to see the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi or the assassination of Indira Gandhi - it needs tremendous research and a tremendously great script, to be great enough to say what has to be said."

Born in September 1923, Dev Anand's career was launched by filmmaker Pyarelal Santoshi in 1946's Hum Ek Hain.

First inspired by Gregory Peck, he later moved into directing and founded his own production company Asfar - and is credited with discovering two female leads, Zeenat Aman and Tina Munim.