Hansal Mehta to Direct Thriller Web Series on Encounter of UP Gangster Vikas Dubey

The alleged encounter of gangster Vikas Dubey on July 10 has caught the fancy of Hindi filmmakers. Director Hansal Mehta is set to helm a web series on the notorious gangster, who had earned the moniker 'Gabbar of Bikru'.

Dubey was killed in an encounter after he reportedly tried to escape when a car in the Special Task Force (STF) convoy taking him from Madhya Pradesh's Ujjain to Uttar Pradesh's Shivli overturned in Kanpur. He was wanted for the death of 8 policemen, and was carrying a reward of Rs 5 lakh for information leading to his arrest.

Producer Shailesh Singh has acquired the rights to make the series on the gangster. He told Mid-Day, "I had been following the events closely and thought, why not tell this story to the entire nation and bring out the facts?"

Dubey's family had to be convinced to narrate his story. "It's a recent event, and they are still coping with it. Many people had approached them, but we managed to convince them after much persuasion. They want his story to be depicted with authenticity," Singh added.

Hansal shared the news on Twitter by retweeting post that said, "An edgy political-thriller web-series to be made on the alleged encounter of UP's notorious gangster, #VikasDubey.. #Shahid and #Omerta fame @mehtahansal will direct the show that explores the Nexus of politics, crime and lawmakers.. Produce by Shailesh Singh, it rolls next year!"

Hansal, who has previously made films like Shahid, Aligarh and Omerta, said, "It is an important story, which is a reflection of our times where politics, crime and lawmakers form a curious nexus. I see an edgy political thriller emerging from this." The cast is yet to be finalised.