Actors who worked on Black Friday say the movie was a very fulfilling experience for them
Aditya Srivastava
Resident of Sai Baba Complex, Goregaon (E), plays Badshah Khan, who helped execute the blasts
"I play Badshah Khan — one of the 20 boys who were closely involved in the execution of the Mumbai bomb blasts," says 36-year-old Aditya Srivastava, who believes that working in Black Friday (the film based on Hussain Zaidi's book on the Mumbai bomb blasts) has been the most emotionally stressful role that he has ever portrayed.
This Sai Baba Complex resident adds, "The story is extremely sensitive and has some very moving sequences. That is why I used to get emotionally drained at the end of the day."
How difficult was it for him to get into the skin of such a complex character? Says Srivastava, "I read the book and formed images in my mind. Since I wasn't in Mumbai when the blasts happened, it was the book that helped me understand the gravity of the situation."
He adds that director Anurag Kashyap also helped him immensely in getting the look and the attitude right.
Srivastava, who is no stranger to the camera, has acted in various TV serials like 9, Malabar Hill and CID. He has also acted in films, including Bandit Queen, Satya, Dil Se... and Lakshya. He credits his experience in theatre to being able to portray characters with a large emotional graph.
Srivastava says, "I was studying in Allahabad University when I got involved in theatre. After that I went to Delhi and worked for seven to eight years on the stage." Even after portraying a wide variety of roles, Srivastava says that Black Friday will always be special. He explains, "At the end of the day it was very fulfilling work from an actor's point of view."
Vijay Maurya
Resident of Goregaon (E), plays Dawood Ibrahim
Very few names spell as much terror in India as Dawood Ibrahim's. That so little is known about him makes him even more intriguing. Imagine then actor Vijay Maurya's plight when he was presented with the daunting task of portraying the dreaded don on screen in Black Friday.
I'm not surprised when Maurya, a resident of Goregaon (E), tells me that he could have given an arm or a leg for this role. He says, "I was hell bent on doing the role. Anurag wasn't too keen on casting me in the part because I look nothing like Dawood. But I literally made his life hell and convinced him to give me the part."
According to Maurya that was the easy part. "I had no idea what kind of a person Dawood is. I only know how he looks through what's appeared in the papers," says the 33-year-old. But that was just the beginning. Maurya adds that he found it quite difficult to get Dawood's attitude right.
He says, "The way I've portrayed him on screen is totally from my imagination. Anurag did brief us but after that it was left to the actors."
Although the actors shared a great camaraderie off the sets, Maurya says that just before he had to give his shot he was left alone. He says, "Anurag would tell all the actors to leave me alone for 45 minutes before my shot so that I could concentrate and get into the character's mind."
This actor, who has his roots in theatre and has worked with Makarand Deshpande and also acted in Anurag Kashyap's controversial Paanch, believes that this is definitely the role of a lifetime.
He concludes, "Everybody is very eager to see Dawood on screen and I hope they feel I've done justice to the role."
Nawaz
Resident of Ekta Nagar, plays Tiger Memon's manager Azghar Mukaddam
Nawaz, who plays the role of Tiger Memon's manager Azghar Mukaddam in Black Friday, says he was powerfully affected by the plot of the movie.
This Ekta Nagar resident says, "In one scene where I'm being interrogated by Rakesh Maria (Kay Kay), I break down and tell him that I was educated and unemployed when Tiger Memon asked me to get involved with the blasts."
Nawaz says that at that moment he could almost feel the turmoil that Azghar would have been going through. He says, "It got really personal at that moment."
This incident apart, Nawaz says essaying the character was tough but at the same time a great experience. This 32-year-old says, "Although Anurag Kashyap briefed me on the role, it was still challenging to project a real-life person whom I've never met or spoken to."
He adds, "Experiencing his state of mind at every moment during the blasts was very exhausting. The entire role is a projection of my imagination."
Like most of the actors in the film, Nawaz also has a strong theatre background. This National School of Drama graduate came to Mumbai in 1998 and has been involved with theatre ever since. In fact he is one of the few people from the mammoth cast who wasn't auditioned.
Nawaz says, "Anurag saw me perform in a play called Kans. He liked my work and cast me for Black Friday."
jhilmil@mid-day.com | | About the film
Black Friday is a film adaptation of the investigations behind the 1993 serial bomb blasts.
Between 1.28 and 3.35 pm on March 12, 1993, 10 explosions took place all over Mumbai. Among the targets were the Bombay Stock Exchange, crowded marketplaces, a double-decker bus, hotels and offices.
The toll: 257 people killed or missing, 713 injured and a city of 14 million temporarily paralysed with fear.
The movie begins three days before the actual blasts take place and ends with the police filing a charge sheet against the accused.
The narrative is divided between that of police officer Rakesh Maria, the vital police point man in the investigations and that of Badshah Khan, an accused in police custody. The movie will release on Jan 28 at Fame Malad, Call 56991212 to book tickets. | | |
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