India has long been fascinated by whether Jawaharlal Nehru, the country’s first prime minister, and Lady Edwina Mountbatten, the wife of British India’s last Viceroy, were lovers or just good friends. Now the controversy has been reignited by a new film by the director of Atonement which portrays them as secret and passionate lovers. From the Telegraph:
Filming of Indian Summer, starring Cate Blanchett and Hugh Grant, has been halted while Indian government officials assess the portrayal of Nehru’s “friendship” with the last Vicereine, according to sources close to the production. They are thought to have asked to see the script to ensure the plot is not too salacious.
More than 60 years after Indian independence, Nehru’s reputation and political legacy remain jealously protected by the Congress Party, which is still controlled by the Nehru-Gandhi family. Despite guarantees of freedom of expression, films on figures from the ruling family need the party’s permission to be made in India.
The movie, which is to be made by Joe Wright, the award-winning director of Pride and Prejudice and Atonement, tells the story of Lord and Lady Mountbatten’s return to India in 1947 for the handover. More:
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