For a change, Akshay Kumar leads a pack of “26” hardened criminals in a daring jewellery heist, which sent shockwaves across India. Based on a true story, Akshay’s character ‘Mon Singh’ is based on real-life, notorious conman Natwarlal, who sold the Taj Mahal in a series of daring scams, before he was stopped.
Special Chabbis is a cleverly scripted and observed gritty drama film, which is based on the real-life events of the infamous Mumbai daylight raid of 19th March 1987 in which an unknown conman posed as CBI officer ‘Mon Singh’ to recruit a band of 26 impostor income tax officials to carry out an audacious robbery on the Opera House branch of Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri in Mumbai, disappearing with precious jewellery worth lakhs.
Akshay Kumar plays the ruthless and brilliant criminal mastermind ‘Mon Singh’ in Neeraj Pandey’s much-awaited cinematic release. Pandey is best known for his thought-provoking films, such as the critically acclaimed A-Wednesday, for which he won the Indira Gandhi Award for Best First Time Director, and the gritty thriller Ek Chalis Ki Last Local.
Special Chabbis boasts an esteemed supporting cast, which includes Manoj Bajpai, Jimmy Shergill, Anupam Kher, and relative newcomer to Hindi cinema and the only female protagonist in the film Kajal Aggarwal.
Here is Akshay Kumar talking about his new movie, released through Viacom 18 Motion Pictures
What made you sign Special Chabbis?
When I first read the script, I was totally bowled over. The film is based on a real life story of the Mumbai Opera House heist which took place in 1987 in India, where 26 conmen posed as Central Bureau of Investigation officers on a raid and walked away with jewellery worth millions of rupees. It was one of the biggest cons in Indian history. Special Chabbis is definitely an entertaining story and I am sure the film will appeal to the masses. Like every film, Special Chabbis also has a strong moral: the public need to be particularly alert in life so that they never find themselves in a situation where they have been conned or have been taken for a ride.
What is your role in Special Chabbis?
Special Chabbis is a very close film to me as it gave me the opportunity to re-invent myself as an actor. My role is of a common man and tells the story of how his life is literally shaken up by a series of life changing events which lead him to become a conman.
How true is the film to the incident?
Directors such as Neeraj really do their homework before they embark on a film project and it took him almost three years to put the script together for Special Chabbis. Neeraj conducted thorough research into the incident to ensure the film was as authentic as possible.
What was your experience like working with your co-stars?
I have had the opportunity to work with some wonderful actors in Special Chabbis and learn so much from the esteemed star cast – in front of them I felt like a complete beginner
Why did you decide to sing Mujh Mein Tu?
That was a task in itself and when I went into the recording studio for the first time, I was literally cursing myself as to why I agreed to sing the track! I had heard the song before filming and one day Neeraj heard me humming the track on set and asked if I wanted to sing it for the reel screen and I said why not, let’s give it a try. After recording the track my director and I heard it and we both liked it and I hope you do too.
What else can we look forward to from you in 2013?
I have Naam Hai Boss this year which is directed by Tony D’Souza and also the sequel of Once Upon a Time in Mumbai. I also have some very interesting regional projects through my company Grazing Goat Pictures such as the Punjabi film Paaji in Trouble and the Marathi film 72 Miles. We have also just announced another Marathi film Adhantari which will be shot extensively in London and stars Tanisha Mukherjee.
India Post News Service
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