During a recent conversation on the YouTube channel Daasta, Ma Anand Sheela revealed that neither Priyanka Chopra nor director Barry Levinson had informed her about their project based on her life. However, she expressed her approval of Alia Bhatt for the role, citing a resemblance between her younger self and the Raazi actress as a deciding factor.
When asked about her rejection of Priyanka, Sheela clarified, “She has never asked me officially. The director has also not inquired. I have only been questioned by journalists. My choice was Alia Bhatt because when I was younger, I looked like her.”
Sheela had previously put it on record that she did not grant permission for Priyanka to undertake the project. She explained her stance to Hindustan Times, saying, “I told her I do not give her permission to do the film because I have not chosen her… In Switzerland, we send legal notices very simply. I sent her an email, which is recognized as legally binding there.”
Born as Sheela Ambalal Patel in India, Ma Anand Sheela is also known as Sheela Birnstiel and Sheela Silverman. She is an Indian-Swiss woman who served as the spokesperson for the Rajneesh movement, also known as the Osho movement. In 1986, she was convicted of attempted murder and assault for her involvement in the 1984 Rajneeshee bioterror attack.
In 2018, the documentary “Wild Wild Country” was released, featuring interviews with Ma Anand Sheela. On July 20, 2018, the ‘BBC Stories’ YouTube channel posted a video titled “Wild Wild Country: What happened to Sheela?” The Amazon Studios film “Sheela” stars Priyanka Chopra as Ma Anand Sheela, and it is an adaptation of the “Wild Wild Country” documentary. Sheela expressed her objection to Priyanka playing her in the film and issued a notice demanding the project’s cancellation.