Sonu Nigam sings for Suhaib Ilyasi's movie 498A -- The Wedding Gift ...

Filmmakers often look at their own lives for inspiration, and Suhaib Ilyasi has found pretty much everything for his debut movie in his own life. Ilyasi, widely known for his show India's Most Wanted, was charged under the Dowry Act (498A) after his wife committed suicide in 2000. A decade later, he is making a movie called 498A The Wedding Gift, and has shot 85% of the movie.

Says Suhaib, The movie is a project of blood and sweat. People always thought Suhaib Ilyasi was arrested for killing his wife Anju. But the truth is that I was arrested under the charge of demanding `10,000 as dowry. My movie is based on a section of the IPC, 498A, yeh dahej lene waalon ko rokne ke liye banaya gaya tha. But it's being completely misused these days.

He adds, It's an absolutely commercial film. Cinema ke through bahut strong messages diye ja sakte hain. It's a balanced mix. There are songs by Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shaan, etc, but the topic is serious. The lead roles are being played by Delhi-boy Harsh Nagar, and Shrishti Gautam, a class X student of Delhi's Sanskriti School. A class X student? Yes. I wanted a young and fresh face. Shrishti agreed she's a younger version of Katrina Kaif, and a wonderful performer. Farida Jalal, Alok Nath, Reema Lagoo and Deepak Tijori are also in the film. 

The team is also coming to Delhi to shoot. Says Ilyasi, We are keeping the film low key, but once it's complete, I'd like to show it to LK Advani. Even such a senior politico has experienced this problem. His daughter-in-law has filed a case of dowry against him. We earlier had permission to shoot at the High Court, but it was recalled when a bomb was found outside the court.