The government has permitted the shooting of a biopic on Princess Diana in India. The film’s producers hope to recreate Lahore and other parts of Pakistan while shooting at locations in New Delhi, Punjab and Haryana after the Pakistan government refused permission.
The film Diana proposes to recreate the last two years of her life and is expected to delve explicitly into her relationship with Pakistan-origin surgeon Hasnat Khan.
Sources stated that the scenes being shot in India are expected to depict her visiting Dr Hasnat Khan’s family in Lahore. The film stars Naomi Watts as Diana and Dr Khan is played by Naveen Andrews.
The film has already begun shooting at various locations elsewhere in the world and is scheduled for release in February or March 2013.
Government sources said that in Delhi the film has been cleared for shooting in and around the Chhatarpur farms, Chandni Chowk and Jama Masjid.
The producers have been advised to keep the sensitivities of the local population in mind as the film aims to depict Pakistan in India, and have been asked to remain extra cautious in Panchkula, Chandigarh and Patiala.
It is understood that before giving the go-ahead the government also discussed its impact on India’s relations with the UK and the royal family. Sources stated that the producers have been advised to keep the sensitivities in mind. The need for caution was felt after the Indian government was recently severely criticised for allowing the shooting of Zero Dark Thirty in the country and the depiction of Abbottabad on Indian soil. The film chronicles the hunt for Al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.