MUMBAI: Mahesh Bhatt is set to direct a film on Chandrashekhar Prasad, the student leader from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) who was shot dead in 1997 while addressing a gathering in Siwan, Bihar.

Chandu, being produced by Dubai-based Irfan Izhar, will star Imran Zahid, an ex-Delhi University student.

Avers Bhatt on making a film on such a topic, "I have been looking for a pithy topic to make a film on. And when these people came to me, I immediately felt that this is just the film to make in this age and time, when we‘re giving so much importance to real life heroes - those who‘ve been shaped by the tools of virtual media.

"When you have such brave people in places like JNU, then we know that something is right somewhere. He came from that section of society where the real India comes from - where people suffer, dream and die. And yet, he was fearless. He gave student politics a standing. And the fact that he was killed while trying to clean up Indian politics says a lot about how successful he was in his endeavour."

The film is likely to go on the floors in six months and will be shot at JNU.