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Nayak: The Real Hero
| Nayak: The Real Hero | |
|---|---|
| File:Nayak The Real Hero poster.jpg Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | S. Shankar |
| Produced by | A. M. Rathnam |
| Written by | S. Shankar |
| Dialogues by | |
| Based on | Mudhalvan by S. Shankar |
| Starring | |
| Music by | A. R. Rahman |
| Cinematography | K. V. Anand |
| Edited by | |
Production company | Sri Surya Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 187 minutes[1] |
| Country |  India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | 21 crore ₹[2] |
| Box office | 20.56 crore ₹[2] |
Nayak: The Real Hero is a Hindi-language political action thriller released in 2001. It was co-written and helmed by S. Shankar, with A. M. Rathnam serving as producer under the Sri Surya Movies banner. The film features Anil Kapoor in the lead role, alongside supporting actors Rani Mukerji, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, and Johnny Lever. A remake of the Tamil film "Mudhalvan", it centers on Shivaji Rao (played by Kapoor), a television cameraman who unintentionally records a controversial conversation between the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Balraj Chauhan, and the police. During an interview with Chauhan regarding various issues, Shivaji is challenged to take over the chief minister's position for a day.
The announcement for Nayak came in June 2000, marking Shankar's debut as a director in Hindi cinema. The film's music was composed by the renowned A. R. Rahman, with lyrics penned by Anand Bakshi. Filming took place at over 100 locations across India, under the guidance of cinematographer K. V. Anand. The movie premiered on 7 September 2001. Despite a production and marketing cost of 21 crore ₹, it was a box office disappointment, earning only 20.56 crore ₹. Critics offered mixed reviews; while they commended the storyline, performances, particularly by Kapoor, Puri, and Rawal, and Shankar's direction, they criticised the film for its lengthy runtime, pacing, editing, and special effects.
Though Nayak did not perform well commercially upon its release, it achieved substantial popularity through television broadcasts subsequently and has since gained a status as a cult classic.
Cast[edit | edit source]
- Anil Kapoor as Shivaji Rao, a TV reporter and later Chief Minister of Maharashtra
- Rani Mukerji as Manjari Ghatge
- Amrish Puri as Balraj Chauhan, corrupt ex-Chief Minister of Maharashtra
- Paresh Rawal as Bansal Shroff, Secretary to the Chief Minister
- Johnny Lever as Topi, Shivaji's cameraman
- Pooja Batra as Laila, Shivaji's fellow reporter
- Saurabh Shukla as Pandurang, Chauhan's aide
- Shivaji Satam as Mr. Ghatge
- Raja Krishnamoorthy "Kitty" as Bheem Rao (voiced by Vikram Gokhale)
- Neena Kulkarni as Mrs. Rao, Shivaji's mother
- Rana Jung Bahadur as Kumar Vishal
- Anupam Shyam as Hemant Mishra, revenue minister
- Razak Khan as Topi's father-in-law
- Ponnambalam as Ranga (voiced by Manoj Pandey)
- Laxmi Ratten as the managing director
- Surya as Manohar, Shivaji's chief security officer
- Babu Antony as the sniper (guest appearance)
- Omakuchi Narasimhan as Viru Bhatia
The uncredited roles include Sushmita Sen and Ahmed Khan, who made special appearances in the song "Shakalaka Baby" and Boys Rajan who plays a member of the Desh Seva political party.[3][4]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ "Nayak The Real Hero". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 23 May 2021. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Nayak". Box Office India. Archived from the original on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedCast & Crew - ↑ திருநங்கையாக நடிக்கணும்னு ஆசை. - Actor Boys Rajan | Virunthinar Pakkam | Jaya TV. Jaya TV (in தமிழ்). 28 August 2022. Event occurs at 12:20-14:38. Retrieved 11 May 2025 – via YouTube.