"When news channels, political parties and industrial czars are the principal movers and shakers in a film, there is obviously a tremendous scope for high drama. As I mentioned in my earlier post on Rann, the film is going to be a very high drama affair. And this is not so much my conscious intention as the director of the film, but the very demand of the subject matter," says Varma on his blog.
Bachchan will essay the role of Harshvardhan Malik, who is 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 and is a hardcore upholder of journalistic ethics. Actor Sudeep has been cast as Bachchan’s son – Jay Malik. He is a go-getter and highly aggressive and ambitious. Jay looks at his Dad’s news channel purely as a business enterprise that must make profits to justify its existence.
Riteish Deshmukh will portray Purab Shastri, who is armed with a degree in journalism. He 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.
Paresh Rawal is cast as Mohan Pandey, who is a politician. His dream is to become the Prime Minister of the country and he is the leader of the opposition. His dream is no different from his contemporaries. The only difference being – if the need arises, Pandey can and will kill to get the coveted chair.
Mohnish Behl will play the character of Amrish Kakkar, who had the foresight to realize that even the business of delivering news can be made entertaining. He therefore can be safely held singularly responsible for taking the television news industry to the dogs, or to the heights, depending on how one sees 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.
Manisha Koirala plays Nalini Kashyap, who is the programming head of Malik’s news channel. 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 thinks. Juggling the cut-throat world outside with the idealistic universe of her boss, Nalini Kashyap has her job cut out.
Rajat Kapoor will essay the character of Naveen Shankalya, who is the son-in-law of Harshvardhan Malik. Additionally, he is also one of the topmost industrialists of the country. Despite this, he is the most insecure man on earth, and won’t rest till he becomes the number one industrialist in the country. He has his best friend in Mohan Pandey.
Gul Panag plays Nandita Sharma and is the assistant of an ad filmmaker. She hopes to bag an independent feature film and 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.
Raima Sen plays Yasmin Hussain, an ex-model, and fiancée of Jay Malik. She watches TV, reads gossip columns, and for most part, takes everything that is dished out to her, at face value. She does not understand the intricacies of power games and hidden motivations behind actions of people. The resources at her disposal to know what is true and what is not, are limited. She is not innocent, and she is not clever either. Yasmin therefore epitomizes the ‘common man’.
Rajpal Yadav plays Anand Prakash Trivedi who is a creative editor and 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!
