Raja Natwarlal trailer launched

Kay Kay Menon, Humaima Malick, Emraan Hashmi, Kunal Deshmukh and Siddharth Roy Kapur

The first look and trailer of Emraan Hashmi’s next titled Raja Natwarlal was unveiled last week. The film will be the actor’s first release in 2014, after the Vidya Balan starrer Ghanchakkar last year. “In this film, I will be seen as Raja and the story is the character’s journey from being a kameena to someone who is extremely shareef. He is a street smart con-man who learns the tricks of conning people and goes on to commit the biggest scam of his life. And of course, there is a vendetta angle to it,” stated Hashmi. The actor added that to get into the character, he took lessons on smart pick-pocketing and even learnt how to play teen-patti (card game).
The film was earlier named Shaatir and it was director Kunal Deshmukh who felt that his project needed a better title. Deshmukh stated, “Natwarlal has somehow become colloquial for someone who cons. When we thought of using this name, the title was already registered with the makers of the old film starring Amitabh Bachchan (Mr.Natwarlal). So, we decided to add the character’s name before the word and that’s how we got Raja Natwarlal, which we thought sounds better.”
Pakistani actress Humaima Malick also makes her debut in Bollywood with this film and will be seen playing Hashmi’s love interest. Deshmukh mentioned that after the initial round of auditions, 20-30 girls were shortlisted, from which Malick was finally chosen. “She has worked hard and proved her potential during the auditions, despite hurdles like getting visa and other issues. We all agreed that she deserved this chance,” stated Deshmukh. Paresh Rawal plays Hashmi’s guru, who helps him learn the tricks of the trade. Kay Kay Menon plays a negative character, Vardha Yadav, a business tycoon who tops Raja’s revenge list. Produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur, Raja Natwarlal will release on August 29.

Bunty Walia files an objection

Producer Bunty Walia has filed an objection with the IFTPC (Indian Film and Television Producers’ Council) against the tagline of Raja Natwarlal – ‘Aisa Koi Saga Nahi Jise Isne Thaga Nahi’, which happens to be the title registered by him in 2012. Adds Walia, “The script of my film is complete and currently, we are in the process of finalising the cast. I am not up against anyone, but I just want the IFTPC to make sure that the tagline of any film doesn’t clash with a film title registered by someone. This should be done before any producer or studio starts the publicity campaign of their film. We need stronger rules to avoid such overlaps.” When contacted, the spokesperson from  UTV Motion Pictures stated, “We are not aware of any such objection being filed. If and when it is brought to our attention, we will respond appropriately.”