Mohanlal As 'Billion dollar Raja'

Mohanlal in and as Billion Dollar Raja in a Hollywood Movie

Superstar Mohanlal is going to act in a Hollywood movie named Billion Dollar Raja.It is an investigative financial mafia drama inspired by the true story of Galleon Group founder Mr. Raj Rajaratnam, his network of Wall Street honchos, big corporate insiders, employees, and a prosecution team determined to punish those involved in the most complex insider trading case in history through secret wire-tap recordings. Mr. Rajaratnam said on one wiretap “I’m feeling the pain, but they can’t kill me. I’m a warrior.”

Mohanlal is playing the role of Rajaratnam in this movie.

Billion Dollar Raja will be written and directed by Nayan Padrai, and produced by Sheetal Vyas, who wrote the story for the film.

The film aims to bring light to a fascinating web of colorful relationships, cultivated by the billionaire hedge fund manager in a massive scheme to trade on secret information from his sophisticated network of highly connected friends.  In a watershed case for the government, Mr. Rajaratnam was found guilty on all 14 counts of securities fraud and conspiracy to commit securities fraud, and sentenced to serve a record 11 years in federal prison, in the same facility as Bernie Madoff.  Mr. Rajaratnam is in imminent need of a kidney transplant.  One of the most colorful characters of this tale is the convicted former beauty queen and hedge fund trader, Ms. Danielle Chiesi who likened insider trading to the pleasures of orgasms.

The film is the second project from producer Sheetal Vyas and filmmaker Nayan Padrai, the first being “When Harry Tries to Marry” released in April of this year.  108 Production plans a 6 week filming schedule in the Fall of 2012, primarily in New York City, and hops to other locations including Florida and Italy.  Cast attachments are in the works and will be announced in the Spring.

“This story deals with people who live in a world that is filled with information, which can produce massive amounts of wealth.  At some point, information becomes a drug, which destroys everyone that consumes it” says Sheetal Vyas.

“I am a big fan of films like All the President’s Men, Donnie Brasco, and The Social Network” says Nayan Padrai.  “The elements of this case are irresistible with a mafia style operation in the shady underbelly of Wall Street offices, filled with prosecutors, wiretaps, tipsters, a moll, sexual encounters, unapologetic greed, major corporations and the billionaire king of the markets a.k.a. Raja…” continues  Padrai, who is currently scripting the project.

Rajaratnam will still be serving his 11 years in federal prison when the movie hits theaters.