By and large, Amitabh Bachchan onscreen has always stood up for the underdog and battled what was wrong in society. In the more recent Pink, his fierce lawyer Deepak Sehgal won the public imagination as the stoic hero, who drove home the message – ‘No means no’. In the patriarchal, judgemental world that is Indian society, he takes up cudgels on behalf of the three girls who have already been branded as being of ‘questionable character’. And he wins the good fight.

…Which is why we are seriously wondering if the actor will be tempted to take up the Ronnie Screwvala-produced biography of the life of arguably India’s most controversial lawyer, Ram Jethmalani. Considered India’s biggest legal eagle, Jethmalani has a string of high-profile cases to his credit, including appeared for Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh who had been convicted for the assassination of the late prime minister Indira Gandhi; arguing for the Rajiv Gandhi assassination case convict V Sriharan alias Murugan; appearing in Harshad Mehta's defence in the stock market scam; and even defending underworld don Haji Mastan in smuggling cases.

Based on the authorized biography by Susan Adelman, The Rebel: A Biography of Ram Jethmalani, the film is being prepped to begin filming early next year. Names like Rajkumar Gupta (No One Killed Jessica ) and Hansal Mehta are being considered to helm the project, which is being touted as a more personal, intense telling of the life of Jethmalani. Word goes that the story is inspirational and motivational – which could suggest that the controversies might be glossed over. And Bachchan might just agree to come on board to play the older Jethmalani, who was one of the most sought-after criminal lawyers of the country.

If Bachchan does bite the bait and sign up, whom do you choose, who is powerful enough to play the younger version of the lawyer? The casting challenges will be far from over!