Notorious Indian conman Mithilesh Kumar Srivastava, better known as Natwarlal, who sold the Taj Mahal and Rashtrapati Bhawan to unsuspecting foreign industrialists, just got more famous. Emraan Hashmi’s next film, which was earlier called Shaatir, has now been changed to Raja Natwarlal.
“Ever since I heard this title, I knew it was the perfect fit for the movie. It etches out my character superbly and is extremely catchy. Also, because it fits in so well with the space of the film, it will help us immensely in promoting the film,” said Hashmi in a statement. Produced by UTV Motion Pictures, Hashmi plays a modern-day Natwarlal based in Mumbai who hopes to hit the big leagues after a string of small scams. The real fraudster Natwarlal was legendary for his exploits that included forging signatures and selling state-owned properties to private individuals. He managed to escape jail eight times during his most active period in the middle of the 20th Century.
Director Kunal Deshmukh agrees with the title change.
“I always wanted to present Emraan in a never-seen-before avatar. He plays a master con artist, the modern-day Natwarlal. So the title is just apt,” said Deshmukh.
In 1979, Amitabh Bachchan had canonised the conman with his action comedy Mr Natwarlal, in which he also played a conman.
Hashmi’s version will open in theatres on August 28.
