When News Channels, Political parties and Industrial czars are the principal movers and shakers in a film, there is obviously a tremendous scope for high drama. As I mentioned in my earlier post on RANN, the film is going to be a very high drama affair. And this is not so much my conscious intention as the director of the film, but the very demand of the subject matter.
Having said that, even the so-called high profile people at the end of the day are, ‘people’. And no matter how powerful they are, they are not without their share of insecurities, egos, jealousies, and dilemmas.
I really enjoyed the process of casting for the incredibly exciting and thrilling characters of Rann. These are a few of them:
Vijay Harshvardhan Malik
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan
The founder of the first ever private news channel in the country INDIA 24/7, the Harvard-educated Vijay Harshvardhan Malik is India’s most respected media personality. He is a hardcore upholder of journalistic ethics. No wonder his Channel is battling for survival!
Jay Malik
Cast: Sudeep
A go-getter and highly aggressive and ambitious son of Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, Jay looks at his Dad’s news channel purely as a business enterprise that must make profits to justify its existence. He hates that his competition is doing better than him.
Purab Shastri
Cast: Riteish Deshmukh
Armed with a degree in journalism, Purab Shastri truly believes that the media should be the check point for the people of a country, and therefore, it should report news, instead of manufacturing news. Purab’s thinking sets him apart from most youngsters of this country. While everyone is chasing their individual dreams, Purab aggressively wants to work towards a better India. Needless to say, a clash between Purab and the powers-that-be looks inevitable. It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong!
Mohan Pandey
Cast: Paresh Rawal
It is every politician’s dream to become the Prime Minister of his country. To that extent, the leader of the opposition Mohan Pandey is no different from his contemporaries. The only difference being – if the need arises, Pandey can and will kill to get the coveted chair.
Amrish Kakkar
Cast: Mohnish Behl
Amrish Kakkar was the first to have the VISION and the foresight to realize that even the business of delivering NEWS can be made ENTERTAINING. Amrish therefore can be safely held singularly responsible for taking the television news industry to the dogs, or to the heights, depending on how you see it. His channel is no less than a shady brothel, the content that is NEWS is no less than a cheap hooker, and Amrish Kakkar – the most powerful pimp around.
Nalini Kashyap
Cast: Manisha Koirala
Nalini Kashyap is the programming head of Vijay Harshvardhan Malik’s news channel, INDIA 24/7. Having been in the industry for long enough, she has developed a practical view of how things operate here. And this comes in direct conflict with what her boss Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, thinks. Juggling the cut-throat world outside with the idealistic universe of her boss, Nalini Kashyap has her job cut out.
Naveen Shankalya
Cast: Rajat Kapoor
Naveen Shankalya, apart from being the son-in-law of Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, is also one of the topmost industrialists of the country. Despite this, he is the most insecure man on earth, and won’t rest till he becomes the number one industrialist in the country. His best buddy Mohan Pandey becoming the Prime Minister of India will surely help his cause.
Nandita Sharma
Cast: Gul Panag
The assistant of an ad filmmaker, Nandita Sharma someday hopes to bag an independent feature film. She is in a live-in relationship with her boyfriend Purab. Nandita is smart, educated, and intelligent. She is also highly indifferent to what’s happening in the country, and first thinks about herself and her man, before anything or anybody else. On both counts, she represents the youth of India.
Yasmin Hussain
Cast: Raima Sen
An ex-model, and fiancée of Jay Malik, Yasmin watches TV, reads gossip columns, and for most part, takes everything that is dished out to her, AT FACE VALUE. She does not understand the intricacies of power games, and hidden motivations behind actions of people. The resources at her disposal to know what is true and what is not, are limited. She is not innocent, and she is not clever either. Yasmin therefore epitomizes the ‘common man’.
Anand Prakash Trivedi
Cast: Rajpal Yadav
A creative editor, Anand Prakash Trivedi has a knack for sensationalizing even the driest story and making it sound like the story of the decade with super catchy headlines. More than any filmmaker, he makes far better movies. Only, he calls them NEWS.
Having said that, even the so-called high profile people at the end of the day are, ‘people’. And no matter how powerful they are, they are not without their share of insecurities, egos, jealousies, and dilemmas.
I really enjoyed the process of casting for the incredibly exciting and thrilling characters of Rann. These are a few of them:
Vijay Harshvardhan Malik
Cast: Amitabh Bachchan
The founder of the first ever private news channel in the country INDIA 24/7, the Harvard-educated Vijay Harshvardhan Malik is India’s most respected media personality. He is a hardcore upholder of journalistic ethics. No wonder his Channel is battling for survival!
Jay Malik
Cast: Sudeep
A go-getter and highly aggressive and ambitious son of Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, Jay looks at his Dad’s news channel purely as a business enterprise that must make profits to justify its existence. He hates that his competition is doing better than him.
Purab Shastri
Cast: Riteish Deshmukh
Armed with a degree in journalism, Purab Shastri truly believes that the media should be the check point for the people of a country, and therefore, it should report news, instead of manufacturing news. Purab’s thinking sets him apart from most youngsters of this country. While everyone is chasing their individual dreams, Purab aggressively wants to work towards a better India. Needless to say, a clash between Purab and the powers-that-be looks inevitable. It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong!
Mohan Pandey
Cast: Paresh Rawal
It is every politician’s dream to become the Prime Minister of his country. To that extent, the leader of the opposition Mohan Pandey is no different from his contemporaries. The only difference being – if the need arises, Pandey can and will kill to get the coveted chair.
Amrish Kakkar
Cast: Mohnish Behl
Amrish Kakkar was the first to have the VISION and the foresight to realize that even the business of delivering NEWS can be made ENTERTAINING. Amrish therefore can be safely held singularly responsible for taking the television news industry to the dogs, or to the heights, depending on how you see it. His channel is no less than a shady brothel, the content that is NEWS is no less than a cheap hooker, and Amrish Kakkar – the most powerful pimp around.
Nalini Kashyap
Cast: Manisha Koirala
Nalini Kashyap is the programming head of Vijay Harshvardhan Malik’s news channel, INDIA 24/7. Having been in the industry for long enough, she has developed a practical view of how things operate here. And this comes in direct conflict with what her boss Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, thinks. Juggling the cut-throat world outside with the idealistic universe of her boss, Nalini Kashyap has her job cut out.
Naveen Shankalya
Cast: Rajat Kapoor
Naveen Shankalya, apart from being the son-in-law of Vijay Harshvardhan Malik, is also one of the topmost industrialists of the country. Despite this, he is the most insecure man on earth, and won’t rest till he becomes the number one industrialist in the country. His best buddy Mohan Pandey becoming the Prime Minister of India will surely help his cause.
Nandita Sharma
Cast: Gul Panag
The assistant of an ad filmmaker, Nandita Sharma someday hopes to bag an independent feature film. She is in a live-in relationship with her boyfriend Purab. Nandita is smart, educated, and intelligent. She is also highly indifferent to what’s happening in the country, and first thinks about herself and her man, before anything or anybody else. On both counts, she represents the youth of India.
Yasmin Hussain
Cast: Raima Sen
An ex-model, and fiancée of Jay Malik, Yasmin watches TV, reads gossip columns, and for most part, takes everything that is dished out to her, AT FACE VALUE. She does not understand the intricacies of power games, and hidden motivations behind actions of people. The resources at her disposal to know what is true and what is not, are limited. She is not innocent, and she is not clever either. Yasmin therefore epitomizes the ‘common man’.
Anand Prakash Trivedi
Cast: Rajpal Yadav
A creative editor, Anand Prakash Trivedi has a knack for sensationalizing even the driest story and making it sound like the story of the decade with super catchy headlines. More than any filmmaker, he makes far better movies. Only, he calls them NEWS.