Akshay Kumar’s monopoly over playing the nationalistic patriotic hero with a social conscience could soon end. He had earned the label, thanks to his impressive successes like Airlift, Toilet Ek Prem Katha and PadMan.
But, it’s now time for Akshay to make room for another superstar in the patriotic market. Salman Khan intends to make a spectacular impact as Bharat in his friend and collaborator Ali Abbas Zafar’s eponymous film. In the film, the superstar’s character takes India and Indians through 71 years of Independence as seen through the eyes of the common man.
Ali Abbas says, “We have worked thoroughly on Indian history and on the adaptation of text. We’re going to attempt a comprehensive view of the factors that shaped India and the Indian ethos.”
Salman of course will play Bharat, the name that yesteryear legend Manoj Kumar took for his character in his timeless paeans to patriotism like Upkar, Purab Aur Paschim and Roti Kapada Aur Makaan.
According to a source in the know, “Salman’s Bharat will be closer in spirit to Manoj Kumar’s Bharat than Akshay Kumar’s patriotic heroes. Salman will pitch his appeal very close to the Indian heart. He will aim to be the most Indian hero since Raj Kapoor and Manoj Kumar.”
