Ma Anand Sheela reveals she prefers Alia Bhatt over Priyanka Chopra playing her character in her biopic

Ma Anand Sheela, popularly seen as an aide to Rajneesh (Osho) is not much happy about the biopic announced about her life, starring Priyanka Chopra. Sheela said in an interview that neither Priyanka nor director Barry Levinson sought her permission before announcing a project on her life story.

Notably, both Priyanka Chopra and Alia Bhatt were said to be playing Sheela’s character in two competing biopics. However, Sheela recently revealed that she wanted Alia to play her in the biopic as she felt Alia resembled her more when she was younger, and this was one of the reasons why she approved her for the role.

In an interview on the YouTube channel Daasta, the controversial aide of Osho said, “She has never asked me officially. The director has also not asked. I have only been asked about this by journalists. My choice was Alia Bhatt, because when I was younger, I looked like her.”

Sheela has in the past too said she even sent an email to Priyanka to stop the production of the biopic. “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 accepted there as legal,” she told Hindustan Times.

Sheela had recently hit the limelight after the documentary Wild Wild Country was released on Netflix in 2018. She had served as the personal secretary to Osho from 1981 through 1985 after which both fell out due to certain reasons. Born in 1949, Sheela’s life has always been mired with controversies ever since she joined Osho.

Meanwhile, Sheela and some other commune members were indicted in the US related to a terrorism plot after which she shifted her base to Switzerland.