advertisement
2017-18 will be devoted almost entirely to Akshay playing biographical characters. He plays real-life characters in R Balki’s PadMan (Arunachalam Muruganatham), Reema Kagti’s Gold (captain of 1948 Olympian gold winning hockey team), a film on historic Battle Of Saragarhi, and of course Mogul (on the life of music baron Gulshan Kumar). And, if sources are to believed - Shraddha Kapoor has been sounded out to play the all-important role of Anuradha Paudwal, the singer who proved to be the single, most influential, game-changer in front of the mike at Gushan Kumar’s T series stable.
1. Gulshan Kumar’s alleged involvement with music piracy in the initial stages of his career in the music business is unlikely to figure in the biopic as his son, Bhushan, is the producer of Mogul.
2. Gulshan Kumar’s murder is not going to figure in the biopic. According to sources close to the project, the idea is to make a motivational inspirational biopic about a man who conquered all odds and revolutionised the business of film music.
3. The contribution of composers Nadeem-Shravan in the growth of T Series is likely to be obliterated as Nadeem Saifi stands allegedly accused in Gulshan Kumar’s murder. Nadeem lives in exile away from India fearing arrest.
4. Akshay Kumar won’t try to look and sound like Gulshan Kumar. In that sense, this biopic would serve up as authentic a protagonist as Akshay’s Rustom, which was apparently based on K M Nanavati.
5. Though there will be plenty of music in Mogul we won’t hear the songs from Aashiqui, Saajan, Dil Hai Ki Mantna Nahin, Pyar Jhukta Nahin and Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, the soundtracks that re-wrote the history Hindi film music in the 90s.
Since Akshay Kumar plays Gulshan Kumar, the character will be shorn of all negativity. He will be portrayed as a Mata di Bhakt (which Akshay too is in real life), who rose from ragas to riches by selling music to the public at an affordable price. Akshay plays negative in Robot 2, but that apart, he won’t dabble in even the slightest shade of black. So it’s phool khile hain Gulshan Gulshan, AK style. Jai Mata Di.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)