RGV ropes in Big B for Rann

Ram Gopal Varma has roped in a huge ensemble cast for his up coming next, Rann. Apart from signing his favourite actor, Amitabh Bachchan to play a pivotal role, the maverick filmmaker has also got in Riteish Deshmukh, Sudeep (hero of Phoonk) Gul Panag and Paresh Rawal to play important parts. Manisha Koirala too gets a new lease of life in Bollywood as Ramu has cast her too in his film. She is back to Ramu camp after almost six years gap since Company (2006).

"When News Channels, Political parties and Industrial czars are the principal movers and shakers in a film, there is obviously a tremendous scope for high drama. This is not so much my conscious intention as the director of the film, but the very demand of the subject matter. Having said that, even the so-called high profile people at the end of the day are, 'people'. And no matter how powerful they are, they are not without their share of insecurities, egos, jealousies, and dilemmas." states Ramu in his blog about Rann.

Explaining in details each and every cast member of his film, Ramu states - I really enjoyed the process of casting for the incredibly exciting and thrilling characters of Rann.

Amitabh Bachchan as Harshvardhan Malik - The founder of the first ever private news channel in the country INDIA 24/7, the Harvard-educated Harshvardhan Malik is India's most respected media personality. He is a hardcore upholder of journalistic ethics. No wonder his Channel is battling for survival!

Riteish Deshmukh as Purab Shastri - Armed with a degree in journalism, Purab Shastri truly believes that the media should be the check point for the people of a country, and therefore, it should report news, instead of manufacturing news. Purab's thinking sets him apart from most youngsters of this country. While everyone is chasing their individual dreams, Purab aggressively wants to work towards a better India. Needless to say, a clash between Purab and the powers-that-be looks inevitable. It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong!

Sudeep as Jay Malik - A go-getter and highly aggressive and ambitious son of Harshvardhan Malik, Jay looks at his Dad's news channel purely as a business enterprise that must make profits to justify its existence. He hates that his competition is doing better than him.

Manisha Koirala Nalini Kashyap - She is the programming head of Harshvardhan Malik's news channel, INDIA 24/7. Having been in the industry for long enough, she has developed a practical view of how things operate here. And this comes in direct conflict with what her boss Harshvardhan Malik, thinks. Juggling the cut-throat world outside with the idealistic universe of her boss, Nalini Kashyap has her job cut out.

Paresh Rawal as Mohan Pandey - It is every politician's dream to become the Prime Minister of his country. To that extent, the leader of the opposition Mohan Pandey is no different from his contemporaries. The only difference being - if the need arises, Pandey can and will kill to get the coveted chair.

Gul Panag as Nandita Sharma - The assistant of an ad filmmaker, Nandita Sharma someday hopes to bag an independent feature film. She is in a live-in relationship with her boyfriend Purab. Nandita is smart, educated, and intelligent. She is also highly indifferent to what's happening in the country, and first thinks about herself and her man, before anything or anybody else. On both counts, she represents the youth of India.

Mohnish Behl as Amrish Kakkar - He was the first to have the VISION and the foresight to realize that even the business of delivering NEWS can be made ENTERTAINING. Amrish therefore can be safely held singularly responsible for taking the television news industry to the dogs, or to the heights, depending on how you see it. His channel is no less than a shady brothel, the content that is NEWS is no less than a cheap hooker, and Amrish Kakkar - the most powerful pimp around.

Rajat Kapoor as Naveen Shankalya - Apart from being the son-in-law of Harshvardhan Malik, is also one of the topmost industrialists of the country. Despite this, he is the most insecure man on earth, and won't rest till he becomes the number one industrialist in the country. His best buddy Mohan Pandey becoming the Prime Minister of India will surely help his cause.

Raima Sen as Yasmin Hussain - An ex-model, and fiancee of Jay Malik, Yasmin watches TV, reads gossip columns, and for most part, takes everything that is dished out to her, AT FACE VALUE. She does not understand the intricacies of power games, and hidden motivations behind actions of people. The resources at her disposal to know what is true and what is not, are limited. She is not innocent, and she is not clever either. Yasmin therefore epitomizes the 'common man'.

Rajpal Yadav as Anand Prakash Trivedi - A creative editor, Anand Prakash Trivedi has a knack for sensationalizing even the driest story and making it sound like the story of the decade with super catchy headlines. More than any filmmaker, he makes far better movies. Only, he calls them NEWS.