New Delhi: In real life, Ajmal Kasab held
guilty in the Mumbai terror attack awaits punishment--maximum
being death penalty--but in reel life the lone surviving
Pakistani gunman is already hanged.
After a spate of international documentaries on Mumbai
carnage, a full length movie--`Ashok Chakra`--set against the
backdrop of the country`s most audacious terror attack will
hit the theatres on May 28.
Rajan Verma, a newcomer, dons the role of Kasab and has
a striking resemblance to the 22-year-old Lashkar-e-Toiba
(LeT) terrorist.
The film`s first promos, which will see Rajan in a full
nude scene accepting his guilt in a monologue, will be out on
May 9. In the film, Kasab is sentenced to death and hanged.
"Months before the (Mumbai) trial ended, we had decided
that Kasab will be hanged to death in the film, it was the
only just thing to do. The film shows Kasab accepting his
guilt before his death," Verma told agency today.
Kasab was yesterday found guilty of mass murder and
waging war against India by a fast track court in Mumbai for
which the maximum punishment is death penalty.
The film which was earlier titled `Total Ten` has been
directed by S P Munishwar and produced by Hari Om Sharma under
the banner of Sapna Films Production.
"The USP of the movie is that the guy who plays Kasab
looks exactly like him, that is the added attraction of the
movie. I play Vijay Salaskar, a sharp shooter. I have an image
of a policeman, so they approached me with this role. They
showed me some pictures and briefed me about the him," Sudesh
Berry, who plays the role of the slain police officer said.
"One of my friends was familiar with Salaskar, so he also
told me about the man in real life. He was a simple man, not
one of the typical foul-mouthed policemen we generally see,"
he added.
The Rs 2.5 crore film based on media reports of the
carnage and accounts of police officials and survivors pieces
together the 60-hour ordeal the city went through.
Other actors in the movie include Homi Wadia (Hemant
Karkare), Ashok Kulkarni (Ashok Kamte) and Ashish Vidyarthi
(Tukaram Ombale). The film also has a host of small-time
actors playing Kasab`s Pakistani handlers.
Apparently trying to cash in on the November 26, 2008
terror attacks filmmakers had registered titles like
`Operation 5-Star Mumbai`, `Bird`s Point of View: Taj Terror`,
`26/11-Mumbai Under Terror`, `Dahshat Ka Halla` and `Shootout
at Oberoi`, but only a few projects has taken off.
Bhojpuri star Kamal Rashid Khan`s upcoming sequel to
`Deshdrohi` also centres on the "sacrifices made by ATS
officers" during the terror attacks.
"My film got delayed because of the new developments in
the case. Now that Kasab has been convicted and sentencing
expected we are planning to begin shooting soon and the film
will be released in February next year," said Khan, who is
also the producer of the film.
Khan claimed that he has already signed on Anupam Kher,
Siddharth Koirala, Ashmit Patel and Payal Rohatgi for the
film.
Mainstream filmmakers had stayed away from making a film
on the carnage after Ram Gopal Varma`s visit to the
terror-struck Taj hotel after the attack landed him in a
controversy.
Movies that have been made on real-life terror incidents
include Anurag Kashyup`s `Black Friday` (2004), based on the
1993 serial blasts, Apoorva Lakhia`s `Shootout At Lokhandwala`
(2007) on a 1991 underworld encounter, and Nishikant Kamat`s
`Mumbai Meri Jaan` (2008) on the serial train blasts of July
7, 2006.
PTI
