Shahid makers hope to benefit from Kai Po Che! success

Mumbai: Hansal Mehta's bio-pic Rajkumar Yadav starrer Shahid, on the slain lawyer Shahid Azmi, has been postponed from February to April and the producer admits that they were waiting to see the response to Kai Po Che!.

"Yes, we were waiting for Kai Po Che!. It's given a boost to Rajkumar's mass appeal. He is the only one who has a romantic angle in the film. And he's brilliant," said producer Sunil Bohra.

And therein hangs a tale. Apparently Bohra and Mehta played the wait-and-watch game to see how well Rajkumar was received in the film, so that there would be an enhanced interest-level in the actor's forthcoming film Shahid.

Said Bohra: "It's not like we were waiting and watching. Because we're very confident of Rajkumar's performance in Shahid. It will get him the National Award for sure."

"But yes, Kai Po Che! is a visible product. It has made a great contact with the youth. In our country, films about male bonding get immediate attention. Any film based on a real-life hero is considered boring. Though Shahid is anything but a dull plodding bio-pic.

"In fact, director Hansal Mehta has made it like Life Is Beautiful. But like I said, Kai Po Che! has brought Rajkumar into the hero's league. Though Sushant Singh Rajput had the author-backed role, Rajkumar is the silent scene stealer," he added.

Recently Shahid was cleared with an A-certificate by the Central Board Of Film Certification.

Bohra said: "Such a hard-hitting subject and not one cut was ordered. We got an A- certificate without a single cut."

Rajkumar, 28, who has featured in experimental movie Love Sex Aur Dhokha, horror thriller Ragini MMS and historical like Chittagong is happy the way his career is shaping up.

He said: "I haven't had so many favourable responses for any of my earlier works. I am now looking at several projects. This is the best time of my career so far."