Suniel Shetty claimed that his role of a warrior in Kesari Veer is an extension of his ‘patriotic’ characters in JP Dutta’s 1997 war drama Border, Harry Baweja’s 2003 action thriller Qayamat: City Under Threat and Main Hoon Na.
Ever since the Pahalgam terror attack that shook the entire nation, a section of the internet has been insisting that Suniel Shetty’s character Raghavan in Farah Khan’s 2004 blockbuster Main Hoon Na was not a villain.
Shetty played a former Indian Army officer who is expelled from the army after killing Pakistanis who cross the Line of Control, mistaking them to be Pakistani spies.
He forms his own army to disrupt Project Milaap, an Indian government initiative to release Pakistani prisoners. Later, it was revealed that his agenda was also personal, as his son was killed in Kashmir and his body was never returned to his family by the Pakistani army.
“Jo deshbhakt hai, woh khalnayak toh ho hi nahi sakta,” Suniel Shetty asserted at the trailer launch of his new period action drama Kesari Veer. “Raghavan was a negative character as per the script. But when I heard the narration, I said yes within two minutes. And I still remember Farah asking me if I was sure because it was a negative role,” Shetty recalled.
Raghavan’s role was rejected by several veteran actors, including Nana Patekar and Kamal Haasan. Shetty said, “How is that negative? Our enemy will remain the same. My son was killed on the other side of the border.
All I wanted was for them to return his body, but they were not ready. Toh dushmani doubah hi ho jayi na? (Then the enmity will double, right?)” He claimed that his role of a warrior in Kesari Veer is an extension of his “patriotic” characters in JP Dutta’s 1997 war drama Border, Harry Baweja’s 2003 action thriller Qayamat: City Under Threat and Main Hoon Na.
Kesari Veer revolves around Hamirji Gohil (played by Sooraj Pancholi), who fought against the Tughlaq Empire and saved the Somnath temple from being destroyed. Shetty said, “It shows what Sanatan Dharma is all about. What do we believe in? What are we trying to say and what are we still trying to tell the world? Who are we and where have we come from? The oldest, the richest and of course the best.
As I have always said, dharma, karma and seva is all that we believe in and that is what this film is all about.” The actor said he is happy that films are now being made on “our own heroes” instead of Aurangzeb or Akbar, who have dominated history lessons in school textbooks for years.
Sunil Shetty expressed his gratitude to Panorama Studios for backing Kesari Veer despite the fact that its cast is not the most commercially viable. When asked why a patriotic film like Kesari 2: The Untold Story of Jallianwala Bagh directed by his contemporary Akshay Kumar is getting support easily while he himself is not getting support, Shetty dismissed any comparison with his Dhadak co-star. “I am not talking about Akshay’s films.
He is a superstar. I am not. My last few films did not work. They got a lot of love, but the tickets did not sell. Maybe I am one of those people whom the audience likes to watch, but for free,” Sunil quipped. When asked if he and Kumar would ever come together for a patriotic film, Shetty said Priyadarshan’s upcoming comedy Hera Pheri 3 is that film. It is the third part of their 2000 hit film Hera Pheri. “It is a patriotic film. The problem with today’s kids is that they are not mentally happy.
Hera Pheri is to make you mentally happy and believe that anything and everything in our country is extraordinary. It’s the best! We laugh and make others laugh, even in poverty,” Shetty said. Hera Pheri 3 will reunite Kumar, Shetty and Paresh Rawal and will release in theatres next year. Meanwhile, Prince Dhiman-directed film Kesari Veer is set to release in theatres on May 16.
Suniel Shetty express Raghavan’s character in Main Hoon Na never felt like a negative character: ‘Jo Deshbhakt Hai, Wo Khalnayak Hi Nahi Ho Sakta’
