Mumbai, Sep 26 (IANS) Actors Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi recently opened up about their initial apprehensions about stepping into the shoes of real-life personalities renowned public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam and his wife Jyoti Nikam m in their upcoming film Prahaar.
Appearing on Kaun Banega Crorepati 18 alongside former Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, the actors spoke about the challenges of portraying people who are alive and whose lives and personalities are known to the public.
During the conversation, host and Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan highlighted the difficulty involved in portraying real-life personalities on screen. Rajkummar revealed that he was initially nervous when director Avinash Arun approached him for the role of Ujjwal Nikam, particularly because of the difference in their age, physicality and voice.
Sharing how he overcame his apprehensions, Rajkummar said, “Sir, pehli baar jab mujhe Avinash Arun joh humare director hain film ke unhone jab bola ki yeh film ban rahi hain aur Maddock ke sath ban rahi hain toh main darr gaya ki kaise Ujjawalji ka role nibhauga kyuki age ka difference hain, physicality ka difference hain, and awaz ka difference hain. Par main aise manta hoon ki jiss cheez se darr lagta hain toh usko zaroor karna chahiye toh heen aap khud ko push karte ho nahi toh aap humesha comfort mein heen rahenge as an artist.”
(Sir, when I was first told by Avinash Arun, who is the director of our film, that this film was being made with Maddock, I got scared about how I would play Ujjawalji’s role because there is an age difference, a difference in physicality, and a difference in voice. But I believe that whenever you are afraid of something, you should definitely do it, because that is how you push yourself; otherwise, as an artist, you will always remain in your comfort zone)
Rajkummar said he spent “hours of hours” watching Nikam’s videos to understand his mannerisms and voice. He also underwent a physical transformation for the role, gaining weight to resemble the public prosecutor.
“Toh maine Arun ko kaha ki karte hain film, par main Ujjawalji ko nahi mil paya because voh kaafi busy rehte hain par maine YouTube pe inke videos dekhe, toh maine hours of hours inke video dekhe aur Ujjawalji ke voice ko pakadna bohot mushkil tha aur fir maine vajjan badaya physicality keliye,” Rajkummar added.
(So I told Arun, let’s do the film. But I couldn’t meet Ujjawalji because he is quite busy. However, I watched his videos on YouTube, and I watched hours and hours of his videos. Capturing Ujjawalji’s voice was very difficult, and then I gained weight for the physicality)
Wamiqa Gabbi, meanwhile, revealed that she too initially hesitated to take up the role of Jyoti Nikam.
“Sir, inki tarah main bhi darr gayi thi aur maine toh pehle film keliye mana kar diya tha because ek toh I had to play a 50-year-old and meri toh abhi tak shadi bhi nahi hui aur vaha toh baache hain 22-23 saal ke,” Wamiqa said.
(Sir, just like him, I was also scared, and I had actually refused the film initially because one, I had to play a 50-year-old, and I am not even married yet, whereas she has children who are 22–23 years old)
She, however, decided to take up the challenge after reminding herself that stepping outside one’s comfort zone is necessary as an actor.
“Fir vahi baat ki jiss cheez se darr lage voh karna chahiye aur maine bhi socha ki main bhi dekhlu ki main kitne paani mein hoon. Par Jyoti Ma’am itni pyaari hain ki later I realised ki main kitne strong insaan ka role play kar rahi hoon,” she added.
(Then I thought about the same thing, that you should do the things that scare you, and I also thought, let me see what I am capable of. But Jyoti Ma’am is such a lovely person that later I realised what a strong person I was portraying)
Talking about Prahaar, the movie is a biographical courtroom drama based on the life and career of public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, who has been associated with msny high-profile criminal cases. The film is directed by Avinash Arun Dhaware and produced by Dinesh Vijan under Maddock Films. Alongside Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi, the film features Jaideep Ahlawat and Sikandar Kher in pivotal roles.
The film explores Nikam’s professional journey and his involvement in major criminal trials, including the prosecution connected with the 1993 Mumbai bombings and the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on October 16, 2026.
–IANS
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