Mumbai: Actress Divya Dutta has denied that she is playing the role of the murdered journalist Shivani Bhatnagar in the upcoming political thriller "Monica".

"I am not playing Shivani Bhatnagar at all. But the movie is very loosely based on women like her. It is about a girl who comes from small town to the big city. There are lots of women like her around us. So, I wouldn't even call it a story based on her life," Dutta told PTI in an interview.

Ashutosh Rana plays the politician in the film opposite Divya Dutta.

"Monica" is inspired by the Shivani Bhatnagar incident. It is directed by Sushen Bhattnagar and produced by Kush Bhargava, who has been a member of the Congress Working Committee.

Bhatnagar, the senior correspondent of the, Indian Express, was found murdered in her Delhi flat in 1999.

Dutta has finished shooting for the film, which is scheduled to release later this year.

The vivacious actress, who was appreciated for her brief role as untouchable "Jalebi" in Raykesh Omprakash Mehra's "Delhi-6", said she had to do some bold scenes in the film.

"It was a very bold role for me bold scenes and bold look. All this was a change. I was initially hesitant, but when I heard the script, I shed all my inhibitions," said Dutta.