Is Taapsee Pannu's Naam Shabana Based On A Real-Life Spy?

Bollywood’s first take on spin-off’s Naam Shabana unfolds the backstory of Shabana from the much loved action spy thriller, Baby. According to sources, Neeraj Pandey’s Naam Shabana is based on a real woman - Shabana, who is an undercover agent.

Director Neeraj Pandey took guidance from a full time consultant, an ex-intelligence officer, who have given all the details of the life of a spy in addition to sharing intricate details of their operations, to add depth and realism to Taapsee Pannu’s role in Naam Shabana.

Based out of Lucknow, Shabana is a real life character and was inculcated in the system after she was identified as a potential agent, much like Taapsee’s onscreen Shabana.

The team of Naam Shabana however, have refrained from using the real life identity of the ex spy and have changed the name of Taapsee’s character in the film to Shabana and are taking extra precautions in keeping the identity of the ex-undercover agent under wraps.

The movie is believed to be based on a real life undercover operation conducted in Malaysia.

Written by Neeraj Panday and produced by Plan C Studios, Shivam Nair’s directorial ‘Naam Shabana’ is all set to release on March 31.

The flick stars Taapsee Pannu, Manoj Bajpayee, Prithviraj Sukumaran and Anupam Kher.