Om Puri's life story will be made into a biopic

Late Bollywood actor Om Puri will be immortalised in biopic, confirmed his estranged wife, Nandita Puri.

Nandita, who wrote a biography on the actor titled Unlikely Hero: The Story of Om Puri will be adapting her book into a biopic of the Actor In Law star.

"I am adapting the book. I am making a biopic on Omji. I am taking part of the book and I am putting it as he wanted, as an inspirational story."

However, no one has yet been cast to play the late actor's role, as it will be "difficult" to do so.

She explained, "We are just at the developing stage of the screenplay. The script is the most important thing for a film. A few parts from the book and will mostly be throwing light on his struggle, the way Omji wanted."

Her book, released in 2009, caused the couple's relationship to go on rocky ground after she wrote about some intimate details of his life.

"As a journalist, I had gone to interview him. He said, 'Why don't you put my life story?' Nandita said.

"He came from a very humble background. He worked at a tea stall at the age of six to put food for the family on the table. His journey involved facing very difficult circumstances... From starving at FTII (Film and Television Institute of India)... If it hadn't been for Girish Karnad who gave him a film and he got INR 3000 and managed to get through two years of FTII on that. It was very difficult."

"Even veteran filmmaker Shyam Benegal had told me that when Omji was working in Mumbai, he was so poor and thin, he was down with jaundice and they used to think that he did not know whether the next meal was coming or not. From that, there are a hundred inspiring incidents from his childhood -- how he overcame this, how he lived through it, how he surpassed it."

Om Puri died of a heart attack earlier this year. He was last seen in Tubelight. And he will last be featured in the Malala biopic Gul Makai. Puri has also reportedly lent vocals for a song in the film.