News/ Kay Kay Menon’s role in Haider is based on Claudius in Hamlet

Mumbai | January 24, 2014 01:00 AM IST

4 min read

The actor also has interesting parts in Shatir, Bombay Velvet and Saat Uchhakkey

By Geety Sahgal

It was said in Haider Kay Kay Menon would be reprising the role of Claudius, who was Hamlet’s evil uncle in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. But the actor says that though his character is negative, he is not exactly like the Claudius of the Shakespearean play. “Haider is an adaptation of the play, but Vishal Bhardwaj’s characterisation is not only different, but very interesting. In fact even more interesting than they are in the play. The film is set in the Kashmir of the 90s and the problems which the state faced during that time, form the backdrop. A part of the film is set in autumn and a part in winter,” said Menon who will be seen sporting a beard and mouthing a lot of Urdu in the film. Menon, who has received critical appreciation for his work in films like Life In A…Metro, also plays the main antagonist in Kunal Deshmukh’s Shatir, the shooting of which is in progress. He is pitted against Emraan Hashmi and Paresh Rawal as a sharp and ruthless character, who thinks he is impossible to be made a fool of, but gets conned by the duo. Menon, who had worked in Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday, is also excited about Kashyap’s Bombay Velvet, in which the director has roped him to play an intriguing real life character of the 60s. “I play a guy who sets up the first crime branch in Mumbai, while I have an assistant who introduces the dog squad,” disclosed the actor. Meanwhile the actor has wrapped up the shooting of Neeraj Pandey’s production Saat Uchhakkey helmed by debutant Sanjeev Sharma. This heist story is set in old Delhi. “There is also Bull Bulbul Bandook, a story set in the Chambal and directed by Karan Butani who has assisted Tigmanshu Dhulia. The film is complete,” stated the actor, who will be seen wearing a handlebar moustache in the film.

Marketing lessons for Abhay Deol

Abhay Deol, who has turned producer with One By Two, concedes that he is adept, when it came to raising money, taking production decisions and act without throwing any starry tantrums on sets. “But the real learning is happening now, during the marketing and release of a film. I know how to make a film, but I am clueless about marketing a film. People are saying that One By Two is a dramedy, a slice of life, a romcom, but being someone who has always stayed away from putting things in a box, I am now being asked to do just that and sell a film. When making a movie you can be who you are, but when selling the movie you cannot be who you are. It’s difficult. I now understand a producer’s dilemma,” said Deol.

Briefcase

Shahid Kapoor registers Gandi Baat title

Shahid Kapoor, who is the new action hero on the block, has become synonymous with the words Gandi Baat; thanks to the popularity of the song which had the actor doing some fabulous dance moves in R… Rajkumar. Kapoor will now be registering the title and buying it for himself, as he would like to use the title for his own film in the future. The actor confirmed that he is keen on buying the title soon, so that he can star in a film titled Gandi Baat, as the audience connects him to those words very easily now. But in case it doesn’t work out and someone else wants to make a film with the same title, Kapoor won’t mind giving away the title.

Riteish to explore international market

After the success of Balak Palak that dealt with the topic of sex education, producer-actor Riteish Deshmukh is all set to reach out to an even more wider audience for his next film titled Yellow. According to a source, “Riteish and his unit are planning to take Yellow to several international film festivals to create awareness about Marathi cinema.” Yellow deals with children with special needs and learning disabilities, will be released with sub-titles. Directed by Mahesh Limaye, the film stars Upendra Limaye, Aishwaraya Narkar, Usha Nadkarni and Mrinal Kulkarni.

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