It is no secret that Pankaj Kapur is one of the most versatile and talented actors in the Hindi film industry. The veteran has made his presence felt with his gripping screen presence and relatable dialogue delivery. While almost everyone is aware of his contribution to Bollywood and the TV industry, not many may remember that he was a part of the Tamil classic Roja, directed by ace filmmaker Mani Ratnam.
The film was a thriller with a strong romantic track and revolved around a simple woman's attempts at tracing the whereabouts of her husband after he is abducted by militants during a secret operation in Jammu and Kashmir. It starred Arvind Swami and Madhoo as the lead pair and established them as household names. Pankaj Kapur played the role of a character named 'Liaqat' in the film, impressing fans with his work,
Roja was released in multiple languages and garnered plenty of international attention. Its songs, composed by then debutant A R Rahman, became quite popular and broke the language barrier. Post Roja, Pankaj Kapur refrained from doing another Tamil film to concentrate on his Bollywood commitments.
Coming to the present, the seasoned performer is awaiting the release of Jersey. The film is a remake of the Telugu movie of the same name and features his son Shahid Kapoor in the lead, It revolves around the journey of an ageing cricketer and has an emotional storyline. Jersey is being directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri, who wielded the microphone for the original version. It will be Pankaj Kapur's third movie with 'Shasha' as the two had previously collaborated for Mausam and Shaandaar. Jersey is likely to hit the screens later this year. This will be the Office Office star's first major release in nearly three years.
Mani Ratnam, on the other hand, is working on his magnum opus Ponniyin Selvan.
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