Director Mehul Kumar’s daughter Jahaan turns heroine

MUMBAI - She played the daughter of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Prada in “Kohraam” a decade ago. Now Jahan Bloch is all set to debut as heroine in “Krantiveer - The Revolution”, being directed by dad Mehul Kumar.

“In my earlier years when I got an opportunity to play Amitabh Bachchan’s daughter, I was very comfortable in front of the camera. Same is the case today as well when I’m playing a full-fledged character,” Jahan, the latest to join the celebrity kids bandwagon, told IANS.

“Kohraam” (1999) was directed by Mehul Kumar. The original 1994 “Krantiveer”, also directed by Mehul Kumar, starred Nana Patekar, Dimple Kapadia, Mamta Kulkarni and Atul Agnihotri.

For 21-year-old Jahan, it was a childhood dream to become an actress.

“Call it (in) the genes and being part of a filmy family, but ever since I can remember I always wanted to be an actress. I must have been three-years-old when I spoke to dad about becoming an actress,” she said.

The newcomer says she didn’t feel the need to join any acting classes.

“Frankly, I didn’t see any need for that. I come from a family that has made movies for decades; so why not learn straight from them? My on-the-job training started at home itself as I used to visit my dad’s set on a regular basis. I just wanted to study the overall atmosphere of filmmaking,” she said.

“Krantiveer - The Revolution”, a sequel to Mehul Kumar’s “Krantiveer”, features Jahan as Nana Patekar’s fiery daughter. She plays a journalist who raises her voice against terrorism, violence and corruption.

Isn’t that too heavy a subject for a newcomer like her?

“I feel 99 percent of the actresses debut with romantic films. I asked myself if I too wanted to follow a conventional approach and the answer was ‘no’,” said Jahan.

“I wanted to do something far more challenging because it makes you work harder. Also, though the risks are bigger, the benefits are much higher. I don’t want to be monotonous and instead demonstrate my calibre by playing a role that other actresses out there would possibly get after working in five or six films,” she added.

“Krantiveer - the Revolution” features Samir Aftab opposite Jahan. The film has music by Sachin and Jigar and Mehul Kumar is aiming for a September-October release.

To support Mehul Kumar’s new venture, Amitabh Bachchan, Nana Patekar and Dimple Kapadia were present at the film’s launch event around two months ago.