Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Mohanlal brings out shades of Thakur

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Three decades after the release of Sholay, which took the film industry by storm, there is Aag now. The world premiere of the film, Ram Gopal Varma’s sequel to Ramesh Sippy’s 1975 e pic, is slated for August 31.

Keralites have something to look forward to in Aag, as Mohanlal plays the role of an encounter specialist. Paired up with him is Amitabh Bachchan.

Lal describes the film as a milestone in his career. Inspector Narasimha is not just the typical gun-toting policeman, but is one who takes on himself the onerous task of eliminating the villain, an embodiment of all worldly vices. He chases the villain who can be hardly spotted.

Varma had originally planned to use the title Sholay, but gave up the idea to avoid legal tangles. Many landmark films in world cinema have been remade. But Aag is a film inspired by Sholay and not a remake. Nor is it a recreation of the Sholay magic. Narasimha closely resembles Thakur Baldev Singh, the role played by Sanjeev Kumar in Sholay, but it is not a copy of the original character, he explains.

“The plot revolves around Narasimha and Babban, the elusive villain who establishes his sway over the Mumbai underworld. They are engaged in a relentless war, but the treatment and mode are entirely different from what cine-goers have experienced so far. It is not just the conventional conflict between the good and the evil. My first Hindi film, Company, had won me an international award. I have a meaty role in this film and it will be a rich visual experience,” he says .

Mohanlal had worked with almost all popular artistes of yesteryear, be it Prem Nazir or Sivaji Ganesan. He describes the chance to act with Bachchan as sheer fortune.

Pyramid Saimira Theatre Ltd. is releasing the film in 25 centres in the State. Sholay, released on August 15, 1975, ran to packed houses in Mumbai for three years. It had to be shifted only because its second part, Sha an, was ready for release. History can be repeated in the case of Aag too, Lal says.

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