- Rajkummar Rao will play Ujjwal Nikam in Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam
- The film is directed by Avinash Arun and releases on October 16 in theatres
- Ujjwal Nikam was initially unaware of Rajkummar Rao before meeting him on set
Actor Rajkummar Rao will next be seen in Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam as former public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam. The film, directed by Avinash Arun, is based on the life of Ujjwal Nikam, who represented the State in the high-profile case against the 26/11 Mumbai Attacks terrorist Ajmal Kasab. The film also stars Wamiqa Gabbi in the role of Ujjwal Nikam's wife Jyoti and Lalit Prabhakar as Ajmal Kasab. Produced by Maddock Films, Prahaar is set to be released in theatres on Friday (October 16).
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Ujjwal Nikam talked about Prahaar, Rajkummar Rao, and his expectations from the film.
Interestingly, Ujjwal Nikam was unaware of Rajkummar Rao until the film's director told him about the actor. In fact, the senior lawyer hadn't even seen any of the National Award winner's movies and knew nothing about him.
When Avinash Arun informed Ujjwal Nikam that Rajkummar Rao is the actor who will play his role in Prahaar, he had one question: "Avinash ji, who is this Rajkummar?"
Avinash Arun then told Ujjwal Nikam what a phenomenal performer Rajkummar Rao is. After this, he visited the film's set one day to watch the shooting. Ujjwal Nikam was impressed after meeting the actor. The eminent advocate found Rajkummar Rao to be a simple, grounded person with no starry airs.
"He's a real actor. I like his nature," Ujjwal Nikam told NDTV, adding he told Avinash Arun that the director had chosen a good actor to play him on screen.
The senior lawyer was also curious to find out how Rajkummar Rao had captured his personality, including his voice, nuances, and quirks, in the film.
Prahaar is Rajkummar Rao's latest biopic. Previously, the actor has played real-life characters in films such as Shahid, Aligarh, Omerta, Srikanth, and the web series Bose: Dead/Alive.
Dada, the biopic on Indian cricket great Sourav Ganguly, will be his next. The actor is currently shooting for the movie directed by Vikramaditya Motwane.
Also Read | Ahead Of Rajkummar Rao's Prahaar, Inside Mumbai Hotel Where Ujjwal Nikam Stayed During Ajmal Kasab's Trial