Bollywood: Vishak Nair to play Sanjay Gandhi in Kangana Ranaut's 'Emergency'

She called the actor a 'powerhouse of talent'.

Actor Vishak Nair has been roped in to play the role of Sanjay Gandhi in Kangana Ranaut's directorial Emergency.

Sharing the first look of Vishak from the film, Kangana took to Instagram and wrote, "Presenting the powerhouse of talent @nair.vishak as #SanjayGandhi; Sanjay was the soul of Indira ... the man she loved and lost."

Sanjay Gandhi, born on December 14, 1946, was the younger son of India's former Prime Minister, the late Indira Gandhi. He died in an air crash on June 23, 1980, near Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi.

Talking about Sanjay Gandhi, Kangana said, "Sanjay is one of the most crucial people in Mrs Gandhi's life. For this, I needed someone who played a man with his innocence intact but who is also shrewd at the same time. He is equally competent and equally passionate."

She added how "the man needed many shades" and thus she required someone who could "play a whole spectrum of emotions".

She further shared, "Sanjay is an extension of his mother. I looked for a face for more than 6 months and I decided to launch him (Vishak Nair) as the face. He is a tremendous actor and has done a slew of Malayalam movies. This is his first Hindi film and I am certain he will do great justice to Sanjay's character."

Emergency revolves around the life of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and it features Kangana in the titular role of the late politician.

Anupam Kher, Mahima Chaudhry and Shreyas Talpade are also a part of the film.

• India