'Prahaar': How Lalit Prabhakar prepared to play Kasab
What's the story
Lalit Prabhakar, who plays the notorious terrorist Ajmal Kasab in the courtroom drama Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam, has opened up about his preparation for the role. In a recent interview with Mid-Day, he revealed that conversations with director Avinash Arun and studying two photographs of Kasab helped shape his performance. He also explained why understanding the character's psychology and getting the dialect right were crucial.
Preparation details
'I spent time with Avinash sir...'
Prabhakar knew he was venturing into uncharted territory when he was asked to audition for Kasab.
He revealed it took just two takes for Arun to feel he had found the right fit. However, preparing for the character required much more effort.
"I spent time with Avinash sir as he expressed his approach toward the character, how he wanted to humanize it, and didn't want to [adopt] the melodramatic, filmy style," Prabhakar told Mid Day.
Character insight
Understanding the character's psyche was important
Prabhakar further explained Arun's vision, saying, "He believed Kasab's psyche should be our focus. What...does it mean to be brainwashed? If a person has killed so many people and is ready to die...how would his eyes and expressions be?"
Prabhakar also read Ramesh Mahale's book 26/11 Kasab Ani Me. He also watched the only video of Kasab available on YouTube and studied a couple of his photographs.
"The main task was [perfecting] the dialect and tone," he said.
Film overview
More about 'Prahaar' and its box office performance
Prahaar: The Untold Story of Ujjwal Nikam revisits the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks and the subsequent legal proceedings. It focuses on public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam's role in the case against Kasab.
The film stars Rajkummar Rao as Nikam and Prabhakar as Kasab. It also features Wamiqa Gabbi, Jaideep Ahlawat, Sikandar Kher, and Ashish Vidyarthi.
It has earned ₹20.1cr net (₹23.93cr gross) domestically and ₹26.78cr worldwide gross so far.