Kiran Bedi interview on upcoming biopic: ‘The story is not just mine, but of every woman who represents India’

Kiran Bedi's untold stories and triumphs as India's first woman police officer to be revealed in an upcoming biopic. Directed by Kushaal Chawla, it is set for release in 2025 coinciding with the 50th anniversary of UN’s International Women’s Year

“My life is an open book,” says Kiran Bedi, the country’s first and highest-ranking woman police officer. “But there are also many hidden stories that define me, my work, my life,” she smiles. Those unknown stories and unseen challenges and triumphs of the tough cop are set to be revealed on the big screen with The Name You Know, The Story You Don’t, a biopic by award-winning director Kushaal Chawla whose films, such as One Way and Another Time, have been part of major international festivals.

The script-ready biopic on Kiran Bedi is set to roll into pre-production, according to Chawla, who wishes to make the film a 2025 release to coincide with the United Nations’ 50th International Women’s Year (IWY).

“Things happen on their own,” says Bedi during a chat on the sidelines of the announcement of the biopic in Delhi. “In 1975, when the UN declared the year as IWY, I was on my first posting at the Chandni Chowk subdivision and was chosen to lead an all-male contingent of the Delhi Police at the Republic Day parade. And now, my biopic is aiming for a release in its golden jubilee year!”

Chawla added that he feels honoured to be able to write and direct a full-length feature film on Kiran Bedi whose illustrious career would inspire generations to come.

“The story is not just my story, but of every woman who represents Indianness and catapults herself and the country to global heights,” quips Bedi.

When serving as the Governor of Puducherry between 2016 and 2021, Bedi received several offers for a biopic on her. “I kept refusing them, but it clicked with Kushaal; he had extensively researched my life for four-and-half years and waited for me to get free from my government duty,” she says, adding, “I think the time had come; one phase ends and leads you to the next in a natural progression.”

A household name across three generations, Bedi who turned 75 on June 9 remains equally curious about who will be cast in her role. “People would be eager to see who their Kiran Bedi is because the image is etched in everybody’s mind, the portrayal has to be impactful,” she laughs.