Any Ram Gopal Varma film always arouses a certain amount of curiosity and when you have the likes of Big B, Riteish Deshmukh, Paresh Rawal, Gul Panag and Rajpal Yadav as a part of the ensemble cast, expectations only get bigger.
The film in question is Rann aka India 24/7. Ramu is currently working at break neck speed (as he usually does) to complete this ambitious project. We bring you an exclusive character sketch of the interesting and diverse characters you would get to see in India 24/7.
Vijay Harshwardhan Malik
When it comes to Vijay, who else can do it better than Amitabh Bachchan? Big B is back after his last RGV film which created quite a bit of stir in the industry, Sarkar Raj. The Raj prevails once again in Ramu’s next biggie India 24/7.
It was Big B who insisted RGV to add the name Vijay before Harshwardhan Malik to add the aura of a man who plays the founder of the first ever private news channel in the country – India 24/7, the Harvard-educated Malik is India’s most respected media personality.
He is a hardcore upholder of journalistic ethics. No wonder his Channel is battling for survival! The character sketch seems like Amitabh Bachchan is playing the role of real life founder of NDTV, Pranoy Roy. And if that’s the case, we’ll soon figure out the Barkha Dutt for you.
Anand Prakash Trivedi
Now this man just cannot be serious, can he? Get ready for the whacky jokes and one liners by Rajpal Yadav who plays a Creative Editor, Anand Prakash Trivedi, who 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! Breaking News!
Purab Shastri
If you’ve got this image of Riteish Deshmukh as a comic actor who has always tickled your funny bone, you’re soon going to be in for a surprise because according to Ram Gopal Varma, this is going to be the best ever work of Riteish Deshmukh in serious cinema.
His look is of a young and dynamic man armed with a degree in journalism, Purab Shastri, as he is known in the film, 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!
Amrish Kakkar
After a long time we are once again seeing the talent of Mohnish Behl on the big screen. For once the family man in Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Hum Saath Saath Hain is now back but in the family of RGV.
Again a first timer in Ramu’s film, Amrish 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.
Nandita Sharma
This is Gul Panag’s first ever film with Ram Gopal Varma, and the way Ramu has portrayed his actresses in his earlier film, you’ll be shocked to know that the dimpled beauty is covered from top to bottom in this film.
Gul Panag plays Nandita Sharma. But an interesting comment coming from Gul said, “India 24/7 is a complete Riteish Deshmukh film. He is going to surprise one and all”.
As for the film, Gul plays an assistant of an Ad filmmaker, Nandita 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.
Mohan Pandey
Paresh Rawal plays Mohan Pandey. He is in his bad form once again. Bad in the sense, not a bad role…him playing a baddie.
Not many know but Paresh has worked with Ramu in four of his Telugu films down South and also in Satya where he played an honest Police Commissioner who gets shot. Here in India 24/7, things have taken a twist. 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.
Jay Malik
India 24/7 is going to be Sudeep’s second Bollywood film after Phoonk with RGV. The question is will India 24/7 be lucky for him like Phoonk?
A go-getter and highly aggressive and ambitious son of Vijay Harshvardhan Malik (Big B), 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 competitor is doing better than him.
Apparently, the relationship which Sudeep and Ramu shared on the sets was quite amazing. Sudeep shares the same onscreen persona as Kay Kay shared with Big B in Sarkar.
Nalini Kashyap
We finally find out the on screen Barkha Dutt, and that’s played by Suchitra Krishnamurthy. She 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.
