Akshay Kumar, Ileana D’Cruz and Esha Gupta are in different stages of their careers. Kumar is already an accomplished actor, D’Çruz is breaking into the big league and Gupta is in a make or break situation. Yet all their hopes are riding high on Rustom, which hits theatres on August 12.
Directed by Tinu Suresh Desai, the film is based on the high-profile 1959 Nanavati case, in which where naval officer Kavas Maneckshaw Nanavati was tried for the murder of his wife’s lover, Prem Ahuja.
Kumar, 48, plays a Naval officer in the film while D’Cruz, 28, essays the role of his wife. Gupta, 30, plays a key role in the movie.
Obsession with sequels
With just weeks to go for Rustom ’s release, Kumar is also looking forward to the launch of his upcoming movies Robot 2 and Jolly LLB 2.
Kumar’s role in the sequels to two popular films has set gossip mills abuzz with talk about whether he would be part of upcoming sequels to his hit films Hera Pheri 2 , Awara Pagal Deewana and Baby.
The actor, however, denied the rumours. The originals feature some of Kumar’s best performances. He tickled the funny bone of audience as Raju in Hera Pheri and Phir Hera Pheri and played an lovable don in Awara Pagal Deewana and an intelligence officer in Baby . Kumar also rubbished reports that he would be styarring in Nikhil Advani’s Bazaar and a film with Divya Khosla Kumar.
Eye on Baadshaho
D’Cruz is excited about Rustom, but her focus is also on Milan Luthria’s upcoming film, Baadshaho. The actor, who made her Bollywood debut with Barfi , says she hasn’t yet signed the contract.
“I had one meeting with Milan, where we talked for an hour, that’s it. I loved the film completely. If things play out well, it will definitely be a role you have never seen me in.” Baadshaho stars Ajay Devgn and Emraan Hashmi in the lead roles.
Baadshaho is reportedly set during the Emergency. When asked if she would be paired opposite Devgn or Hashmi, she said, “I don’t know. I am not saying anything. All I am going to say it is completely different from what I’ve done so far and you will be pretty surprised. I am really excited.”
Comeback movie
For Gupta, Rustom marks her return to the screen after the debacle of Humshakals (2014). The movie directed by Sajid Khan and featuring Saif Ali Khan, Ram Kapoor and Ritesh Deshmukh in triple roles tanked at the box office. When asked if she was disheartened by the failure, Gupta says: “Yes, we all were because we worked really hard. A friend told me, ‘People who are not from the industry don’t realise the amount of hard work that is put in’ No filmmaker wants to make a flop film. A lot of the times, it is the destiny of a movie.”
Gupta says her career slowed down after Humshakals. The actor got offers, but she turned them down as they were not high on content. “I was getting a lot of films, but either there was a lot of money and not a good film or they were not the type I wanted to do. I didn’t want to go into any kind of films, which I, myself, wouldn’t want to watch. There are lots of ways to make money but what’s the point of doing a bad film?”
She says this year looks good for her. “When Rustom came, I was happy. And now I am waiting for the response. I am confident it will connect with the audience.” — PTI
