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Mundhra said he had a "confidential" meeting on the project with Gandhi on October 10, 2006 at her residence 10, Janpath in New Delhi which went unreported.
The meeting was attended by Congress Party's spokesman Abhishek Singhvi who had in the same year in July issued a legal notice to Mundhra here saying that the biopic would not be allowed to go ahead as it was unauthorised.
"Mrs Sonia Gandhi took keen interest in listening to the storyline of my film Sonia. She was kind and patient, and did not raise the issue of legal proceedings at all.
"There were times when she looked amused as I narrated the most memorable moments of her life from a director's perspective, particularly, how she met Rajiv Gandhi," the UK-based director said.
"She, in fact, reminded me that there was a time when Rajiv Gandhi ji had to sell ice creams when they were studying together in Cambridge, in UK," Mundra said at a programme organised by India-EU Film Initiative at the Nehru Centre here over the weekend.
"However, Sonia ji said that she was a private person and could not come to terms that some one really wanted to make a film about her. She said she was amused. Usually, she said, such films are made about people who are dead," Mundhra said.
After receiving the notice, Mundhra said, the film was put on hold and that status has not changed since then.
The film was to have starred Italian actress Monica Bellucci as Sonia.
"After meeting Sonia Gandhi at her residence in Delhi I left with the impression that she was relieved after knowing my intention in making a film on her life," Mundhra said.
The film was to chronicle the times of Sonia and her husband Rajiv Gandhi, former prime minister of India who was assassinated in 1991, and moments from their meeting to her rise as the most high-profile woman in India.
The controversial director of films such as Provoked was facilitated at an evening 'Life and Times in Indian Cinema', an India EU Film Initiative programme in association with London's Nehru Centre.
Mundhra said he would be doing two Bollywood films this year, one of them with actor Govinda.
He has also been approached to direct a comedy thriller Bullets, Babes & Bollywood, for a company called 'One Thought', headed by Pervaiz Damania.
Known for his thought-provoking and socially relevant films such as Kamla, Bawandar and Provoked, Mundra's next film Shoot on Sight, a political thriller on Islamophobia and terrorism, will be released in May this year.
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RatingWhy Biographical pictures/movies are not allowed and why they are unauthorized?Is this a Indian Costitutional Law?Living in Democracy people have freedom of speech and expression.There are different ways of expressing or giving one's mind.Some do verbally,some do through writing,some do through art like cartoons and caricature and films too are media of expression.The is the Congress and Sonia doesn't want to expose her past which is still not known to the common people of India.Once known she will lose not that what she has now but will be distasted by majority Indians.I don't think if was was amused as said but had to react because she knows her chamchas will take care of it that no such informatory film comes out.Her mention of Rajiv's selling Icecream is very tactful and cunning way of telling that if Rajiv could do that her cleanig dishes or working as waiteress makes no difference.I can bet Rajiv never did so.If not Mr. Mundhra someone else must produce a film based on Rajiv through which Sonia's originality and truth can be sent to the masses.Rajv is dead and there couldn't be any objection.
What are those who work against nation,supporting a DEAD and ABORTED deal?DEAD cetainly!
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