Alankrita Shrivastava to direct a biopic on Pak’s Qandeel Baloch

Mumbai: Filmmaker Alankrita Shrivastava is set to direct a film on the late Pakistani social media star Qandeel Baloch, the makers announced on Tuesday.
Producers Vikas Sharma and Sunny Khanna, along with Shrivastava have acquired the rights to the book “The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch” by Pakistani journalist Sanam Maher and published by Aleph.
Fouzia Azeem, better known by her stage name Qandeel Baloch, was a model, actress, social media celebrity and activist.
She rose to prominence due to her videos on social networks discussing her daily routine, her rights as a Pakistani woman, and various controversial issues. She was strangled to death by her brother Muhammad Waseem.
Shrivastava, whose film credits include “Lipstick Under My Burkha”, “Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare”, and web series like “Made in Heaven” and “Bombay Begums”, said she was always fascinated by Baloch’s life story.
“When Qandeel Baloch was murdered in Pakistan in 2016, I was shaken up. It was a heinous honour killing. I couldn’t stop thinking about her. I started watching Qandeel’s videos repeatedly, and I was fascinated.