Ruslaan Mumtaz Shortchanged

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April 10, 2010 (Sampurn Wire): Riteish Deshmukh is eager to move out of the supporting-actor slot. In fact he confessed that he saw Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai as his ticket to hero-giri!

And the casualty of Riteish’s heroic ambitions is the film’s other leading man Ruslaan Mumtaz. The close friendship between director Milap Jhaveri and his leading man Ritesh Deshmukh has cost character-actress Anjana Mumtaz’s son Ruslaan heavily. Ruslaan reluctantly reveals that he has been almost completely left out of the marketing and publicity of Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai.

The young actor who made his debut in Mera Pehla Pehla Pyar in 2007, was seen last year in Satish Kaushik’s Tere Sang was promised the sky in Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai. He was told he was the conventional romantic lead in the film.

He was also assured that the film would be promoted and marketed as a two-hero film with Riteish taking the forefront with Jacqueline Fernandez since the pair had done a film together and were chummy.

In fact, say sources, reports of a link-up between Riteish and Jacqueline were deliberately planted, to cash in on the “hit” jodi (last seen together in Aladin).

Interestingly, Ruslaan plays a matinee idol in Jaane Kahan Se Aayi Hai. Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra make appearances in the film to promote his character. But in real life Ruslaan has been left out of most of the promotional activities.

Says the young actor, “In their defense I’d like to say I was always told mine would be the second lead. I was happy with that’s since mine is the third most important character in the film. Unfortunately that isn’t how the film has been promoted.”

At first, Ruslaan was part of the various promotional events. The gradually he was asked out of the film’s publicity. To his shock and surprise Ruslaan now finds Vishal Malhotra who plays Riteish’s best friend being promoted as the film’s second hero.

Says Ruslaan, “I don’t know why I am being left out. I’m hoping when the film releases people would know the truth.”

While director Jhaveri is evasive on the issue of Ruslaan’s non-visiblity in the promotions producer Nikhil Advani admits the actor has been left out. “It’s unfortunate but Milap decided to pitch the film as a boy-from-earth-meets-girl-from-venus love story. The boy and girl being Riteish and Jacqueline. But Ruslaan is good in the film.”

- By Subhash K Jha / Sampurn Wire