Web series on Mother Teresa’s life in the works

Veteran Malayalam filmmaker P Chandrakumar’s next project is a web series that will explore the life and times of Mother Theresa, the founder of the Missionaries of Charity, who was canonized by the Catholic Church as the Saint Teresa of Calcutta. In Bengaluru as part of the hunt for the lead actress to play the role of the Albanian nun, who lived most of her life in India. A new face is what the team is looking for.

Speaking to the media, Chandrakumar said that he was adapting a version of events as told by a Kolkata-based journalist, who had spent time with the revered nun. One of the major allegations that had been levelled against Mother Teresa during her lifetime was that she came to India for religious conversion and propaganda. That is an aspect that will be explored as part of the narrative, said the filmmaker, adding that the series will show if there was any truth to these allegations.

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The idea behind exploring this angle is to ensure that the show is not dubbed as propaganda. The series will also show why it was deemed apt to canonize Mother Teresa and declare her a saint. It will be the most honest depiction of the Nobel Peace Prize winner of 1979, said the filmmaker, adding that she was never bothered about fame or money.

To be made as a 30-episode show, split into 3 seasons of 10 episodes each, the show has been pitched to a major OTT platform, said the filmmaker. Various stages of Mother Teresa’s life will be captured, with the makers putting up a major set in Bengaluru to recreate Kolkata of the late 40s and early 50s. Chandrakumar’s rough estimation is that he will need at least 3 months for the first 10 episodes, with a total of a year and half to complete it.

While some portions will be shot on sets, the team is looking at shooting in real locations in places like Darjeeling, Vatican, Bangladesh, etc.