Is 'Naam Shabana' based on real-life Shabana?

New Delhi [India], Mar 18 (ANI): Bollywood's first take on spin-off's 'Naam Shabana' unfolds the backstory of Shabana from the much loved action spy thriller, 'Baby'. But, it has an interesting fact attached to it. According to sources, Neeraj Pandey's 'Naam Shabana' is based on real Shabana, who is an undercover agent. Director Neeraj Pandey took guidance from a full time consultant, an ex-intelligence officer, who has given full details of the life of a spy in addition to sharing intricate details of their operating, to add depth and realism to Taapsee Pannu's role in the film. Based out of Lucknow, Shabana exists in real life and has been inculcated in the system after they identified her as a potential agent, much like reel 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.(ANI)