| Ravi Kissen did not win Bigg Boss's Rs 50 lakh moolah, but he's still got a reason to smile.
The Bhojpuri actor has been chosen to play the title role in Ekta Kapoor's Bhojpuri co-production with Mahesh Pandey, called Gabbar Singh. Pandey is also directing the film.
Unsure
Kissen had been signed for the title role before he entered Bigg Boss's house, but Balaji did not want to reveal his name before the show was over.
Says Kapoor, "Ravi will play the title role of Gabbar Singh. It was entirely Mahesh's decision. Casting Ravi, who is a huge star in the Bhojpuri circuit, as an anti-hero is a casting coup because the film will highlight the ultimate villain."
Elaborating on that, Mahesh says that Ravi was not sure whether he should do the role or not. "He wanted to know if I wanted him for Jai or Veeru's role. When I told him that he should play Gabbar Singh, there was a long silence on the phone.
I coaxed him to meet up with me and then take the final call. We met at B R Studios, where he was dubbing for a film. We were supposed to catch up for 10 minutes but the meeting went on for 90 minutes; Ravi got so engrossed in the characterisation.
At the end of it, he got up and hugged me. And I knew that he was doing it, there was no need for him to actually say yes."
Not Sholay!
Mithun Chakraborty was Balaji's first choice for Gabbar's role. "Mithunda loved the role but did not want to do it for personal reasons," says Pandey. Thereafter, Mahesh even thought of casting Shatrughan Sinha and Nana Patekar.
"But then Ravi's name quickly came on board. He fits the character I have conceived. I am not making a remake of Sholay. My film is entirely from Gabbar's point of view. In the end, the audience will not only identify but sympathise with him too."
Giving the first details about the role, Mahesh says that Ravi will be shown as a farmer and then as a fauji, before he eventually becomes Gabbar Singh.
Ravi will lock horns with Jeetendra (in Thakur's role), who incidentally played his father in his debut film Udhar Ki Zindagi. Jetendra, who is currently in Singapore, tells HiTLIST, "Ravi is an excellent actor and has gone very far in Bhojpuri cinema."
Balaji has chosen Sikandar Kharbanda (Indraneil of Kasautii Zindagii Kay) and Dinesh Lal Yadav Nirava to play Jai and Veeru respectively. Gujarati film heroine Mona Thiba will don the garb of Basanti, while Bhojpuri singer Kalpana will play Radha.
Shooting begins from February 5 and will be shot in a single schedule of 31 days in UP. Gabbar Sigh will be the costliest Bhojpuri film till date, with a budget estimated at Rs 2.5 crore. |
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