Aditi Rao Hydari & Paige Sandhu To Star In Indo-British Production On Princess Sophia Duleep Singh & Mehak Titled Lioness —

Aditi Rao Hydari and Paige Sandhu will be seen in leading roles in the film based on Princess Sophia Duleep Singh and the fictional tale of Mehak, written and directed by Kajri Babbar. Lioness, the official Indo-UK co-production being made under the bilateral treaty signed by both countries in 2008, announced the film today at the India Pavilion (managed by FICCI under the aegis of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) at the ongoing Cannes Film Festival.

The film, which will be produced by Vivek Rangachari, Vaishalli Paatil, Faraz Ahsan, Clare Cahill, and Ajit Pal Singh (Executive producer), has been certified by the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the British Film Institute (BFI).The film, inspired by the research of Peter Bance, the historian who discovered the story of Princess Sophia Duleep, is the story of two British Punjabi women living in the UK, a century apart. Peter is also one of the executive producers on the film.Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, born in 1876, was the Princess of Punjab, the granddaughter of the great Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and the goddaughter of Queen Victoria. Sophia was one of the key leaders of the suffragette movement in the UK. She remained a tireless advocate for the rights of women and children until her last day. Paige Sadhu will be playing Sophia here.