Abhishek, Surya to fight it out with ‘…Obama’ this Friday (IANS Preview)

NEW DELHI - Bollywood actor Abhishek Bachchan and Tamil superstar Surya will tug it off at the box office this Friday with their outings “Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey” and “Rakta Charitra - Part II”. And vying for eyeballs with them will be “Phas Gaye Re Obama” about the after effects of global meltdown.

With Abhishek starrer “Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey”, director Ashutosh Gowariker will introduce audiences to the long forgotten Chittagong uprising.

There was a revolution that we don’t know anything about… it was a revolution of such vastness and magnitude involving not one person but 64 revolutionaries led by Surjya Sen”, Gowariker told IANS.

The period drama that will see Abhishek as the freedom fighter Sen has been co-produced by Gowariker’s wife along with Ajay Bijli and Sanjeev Bijli of PVR Pictures.

Sen, a school teacher, carried out the Chittagong armoury raid in 1930 in British India. Based on Manini Chatterjee’s book “Do And Die”, the film throws light on the 64 revolutionaries out of which 56 were youngsters, mostly of 13-14 years of age.

On the other hand, Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakta Charitra - Part II takes forward the life of Paritala Ravi, a slain political leader from Andhra Pradesh. The first instalment hit the screens Oct 22. According to the film’s publicist, budget for both the movies is Rs.12 crore each.

Starring Vivek Oberoi in the lead, it marks the Bollywood debut of Tamil superstar Surya as Ravi’s nemesis Maddelacheruvu Suri. Politician-actor Shatrughan Sinha too features in the thriller along with Kota Srinivasa Rao and Radhika Apte.

This movie focuses on how violence rages from emotions and it talks about an inspiration out of life, Varma told IANS.

Debutant director Subhash Kapoor will be competing with these two veterans with his satirical comedy “Phas Gaye Re Obama” at the ticket counters. Set against the backdrop of global recession that originated in the US and how it had its implication even in the remotest corners of India.

Starring Rajat Kapoor in the lead, it has Neha Dhupia, Sanjay Mishra, Amol Gupte and Manu Rishi in pivotal roles. It has been produced by Ashok Pandey.

Interestingly, not many know that Neha, who plays a female gangster in the comedy, took inspiration from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati to get her regional dialect right.

“As I play a gangster from UP (Uttar Pradesh) in the film, I had to get that language right and so I observed Mayawati to learn how she speaks. She is the only woman whose dialect, whether she is serious or funny, is extremely monotonous. So I have tried to incorporate this in my character. However, my character is not inspired by her,” Neha told IANS.

Keeping Gowariker’s track record and Varma’ dexterity at showcasing politics and crime, it just might be a tough fight for Kapoor at the box office.