Kiran Bedi makes a debut!

D J Walter Scott

High profile police officer and Magasaysay Award winner Kiran Bedi, whose real life inspired many a film theme, has herself donned the greasepaint.

The famed IPS officer plays the role of a ragpicker for whom the nation and its tricolour are as sacrosanct as religion.

In the ten-minute documentary titled, The Real Salute, a sari-clad Bedi spots a torn national flag while rummaging in a dustbin.

Though earning a living by picking up the wastes, she is different from others and the very sight of the flag lying in the heap in disrespect is too much for her to bear.

Fired by the spirit of patriotism, she retrieves the flag, sews the torn tricolour with a portion of her green sari, hoists it on a mast and salutes it.

The scene is enacted in the backdrop of a song, "My country's honour is my honour. I gave my clothing to the flag to protect its dignity which will absolve me of sin."

The multilingual documentary, produced by R R Gopaljee of Madras-based Malar Network, is directed by Guna-Shakthi brothers.

Maestro Ilayaraja has scored the music for the lone song penned and sung by different lyricists and singers in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada.

Kiran Bedi, who was present at the special screening of the documentary, told newspersons that she had readily agreed to play the role to help the youth imbibe nationalism and patriotism.

She regretted that the present day youth, unaware of the sacrifices made by freedom fighters, have taken freedom for granted. +it is very important that there is a link for the money-minded second generation with the glorious past+, she said.

On the selection of Kiran Bedi for the role, Guna said Mother Teresa would have been the ideal choice. Since she was no more, they approached Bedi, who was moved into tears by the theme of the film, based on an incident they had come across earlier.

The progressive-minded Bedi, who considers wearing a sari and braiding her hair as symbols of women's slavery, had agreed to wear a saree for this film, he added.

Gopaljee said the company would donate 50 per cent of the proceeds of the film to India Vision foundation, a trust run by Kiran Bedi for street children.

UNI