Who will play Ajmal Kasab, the dreaded Pakistani terrorist involved in the horrifying 26/11 Mumbai Attacks of 2008, was one question that had the audience guessing the day the teaser of Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam dropped.
It was a well-kept secret.
And when the trailer of Prahaar, which stars Rajkummar Rao in the role of public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, everyone wanted to know who is this actor who is the spitting image of Ajmal Kasab. Those who knew Lalit Prabhakar were pleasantly surprised, those who didn’t, they know his name now.
Actor Lalit Prabhakar prominently works in the Marathi cinema, theatre, and OTT scene. If the response to the trailer of Prahaar if anything to go by, this Hindi film, only his second after One Two Cha Cha Chaa, could be a foot in the proverbial big Bollywood door for him.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Marathi actor Lalit Prabhakar talks about becoming Ajmal Kasab inside out, playing a dreaded terrorist, and receiving a lot of love before the release of Prahaar.
‘People Told Me Not To Play Kasab’
Lalit Prabhakar is “overwhelmed and grateful” for all the love coming his way for playing Ajmal Kasab in director Avinash Arun’s Prahaar, which has yet to hit the screens on Friday. There were, however, some who advised him not to take up this role. Then there were some who have praised him for his “guts and versatility”. But Lalit Prabhakar, who is an “impulsive actor” by his own admission, took the plunge with faith in the makers and his fans.
“Kuch logon ne mujhe bola bhi ki aisi film nahin karni chahiye, aisa kirdaar nahin karna chahiye. (When I decided to take up this film, many people cautioned me. They told me not to do a character like this.) I don’t think like that… I just thought that I will get to do a good film with a good message with good people. I was getting to do a good role,” the Marathi actor told NDTV in an interview.
He went bald for Marathi period film Anandi Gopal. His film credits also include Zombivli, Medium Spicy, and Toh Ti Ani Fuji, and web series Pet Puraan. All those who have praised him for the Prahaar trailer have followed his work and choices for years.
“They are calling it a ‘brave decision’. None of them have taken this (playing the role of a terrorist) negatively. That is a big thing for me.. I take this as my earning from whatever work I have done in all these years. No work that you do goes to waste, it eventually reaches people.
“In my case, it accumulated over the years and that’s what people are acknowledging. This also motivates me to continue to walk on the path that I have chosen for myself. If I’m getting the support of the audience, I can do it all without any fear.”
Ujjwal Nikam’s First Reaction On Lalit Prabhakar’s Kasab Transformation
Getting a seal of approval by Ujjwal Nikam, who led the prosecution for the State in the case against Ajmal Kasab, was going to be a big deal. The senior advocate had seen the terrorist up close and personal, barring the cops.
But Lalit Prabhakar said he never got a chance to meet Ujjwal Nikam while he was shooting for the film.
“Later when he was shown my photos as Kasab and one of the scenes from the film, he said, ‘Yaar, ye bilkul waisa hee lagta hai (he looks exactly like him) and he has caught every nuance.’ Not only Ujjwal sir, but also the police officers who actually caught Kasab alive and those who saw him when he was in custody reacted the same way,” he revealed.
How Lalit Prabhakar Became Ajmal Kasab
With his roots in Marathi theatre, preparation for a role is a process Lalit Prabhakar revels in. To get his diction right, he trained under dialect coach Amitoj Singh for a week. He watched Ajmal Kasab’s only video available online.
“In that video, Kasab is injured and in a lot of pain. He’s hospitalised and he is being interviewed. Through that video, we tried to piece together his general speech pattern.”
But Ajmal Kasab wasn’t as tall as Lalit Prabhakar.
“I thought about what I could do so that I appear physically shorter. I decided to move my neck behind, drop my shoulders, and slouch. So, I tried to do these small-small things so that I resemble him as closely as possible,” he recalled.
With only two days to go for the release, the actor was a bit reluctant to share insights into how he became Ajmal Kasab internally.
“The whole psychological journey, what all goes inside him, we have tried to capture that too in the film. I read a book by 26/11, Kasab Ani Mee by Ramesh Mahale that also helped me understand what happened after he was caught, how he was interrogated, what he would say. Our (Prahaar) writer Sumit Roy also made my job easier,” he shared.
All in all, Ajmal Kasab of Prahaar will be depicted on a “human level”.
“The two scenes that I read I could gauge that this film is going to be something else and how this character (Kasab) is going to be portrayed… Whatever he did, but we are going to show a human who is flawed. But we are going to see Kasab as a human being,” Lalit Prabhakar said.
‘I Didn’t Want To Play A Marathi Character In Bollywood’
When the casting team of Prahaar was searching for their Ajmal Kasab, Lalit Prabhakar’s name wasn’t even in contention. “I am Marathi after all and understandably so because it was a Pakistani character with a different build and diction,” he said.
It was director Avinash Arun, known for Paatal Lok, Killa, Three Of Us, and School of Lies, who thought Lalit Prabhakar could be his ‘most wanted man’.
“When I was sent to do the scenes for an audition, I found them very interesting. The other reason why I was interested was because I love Avinash sir’s work. He is one of the few directors whose work touches your soul. He has also done some great work in Marathi. I didn’t even read the script before saying ‘yes’. I had that much trust in Avinash sir. I was finalised for the role the same day I gave the audition,” he said.
“For me, that was a challenging aspect to this role. I always wanted that whenever I do Hindi films, it should not be a character who has a Marathi background. It just so happens that after a point of time an actor who comes from a certain industry tends to get roles similar to their background. I wanted to prove myself. So I had to train a bit, had to work on the character a bit, but that’s what I enjoy the most. The whole process,” he added.
A special court convicted and sentenced Ajmal Kasab to death on May 3, 2010. He was hanged at Pune’s Yerwada Central Jail on November 21, 2012, a week before the fourth anniversary of the attacks.
Prahaar, also starring Wamiqa Gabbi, releases this Friday.
Also Read | ‘Who Is Rajkummar Rao?’: What Ujjwal Nikam Asked Prahaar Director About His On-Screen Casting
