Raja Natwarlal is an upcoming Bollywood crime comedy film directed by Kunal Deshmukh and
produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures.
The film features Emraan Hashmi in the title role, alongside Humaima Malik, Paresh Rawal
and Kay Kay Menon.
Yuvan Shankar Raja has composed music for the film.
The film is expected to be released on 29 August 2014.
Cast Emraan Hashmi as Raja/Mithilesh Kumar
Humaima Malik as Ziya Paresh Rawal as Yogi
Kay Kay Menon as Vardha Yadav Deepak Tijori as Raghav
Production In May 2013, it was first reported that Kunal
Deshmukh's next project would be produced by UTV Motion Pictures.
Deshmukh selected Emraan Hashmi for the lead role, collaborating with him for the fourth
time.
The film was titled Shaatir and Hashmi was revealed to play the character of a ‘shaatir’
conman in the film.
In April 2014, the film's title was changed to Raja Natwarlal inspired by the 1979 Amitabh
Bachan film Mr. Natwarlal.
In June, it was reported that Abhishek Bachchan would play another lead role besides Hashmi.
But he opted out and next month Paresh Rawal was signed for the role.
Jacqueline Fernandez and Priyanka Chopra were approached to play the lead female role, but
both actresses could not accommodate the dates.
In November 2013, Pakistani model and actor Humaima Malick was cast as the female lead.
Deepak Tijori was signed for a role in the film in December.
Kay Kay Menon was signed for an important role and Deshmukh stated that his character
named Vardha Yadav had been modelled on the Sahara India Pariwar chief Subrata Roy.
Pritam Chakraborty, who had composed the music for all of Deshmukh's films, was supposed
to work on this film's music, too, but was replaced by Yuvan Shankar Raja.
Deshmukh later stated that Pritam wanted to take a break and that it was Pritam himself
who referred Yuvan Shankar Raja to him.
Deshmukh had planned to start the first schedule of the film early 2014 but since Hashmi's
other film Badtameez Dil had been postponed, the start of the film's shoot was advanced
to October 2013.
Principal photography commenced on 20 October 2013.
Hashmi took special dance training for the film under choreographer, Raju Khan.
Soundtrack The film's soundtrack was composed by notable
Tamil film composer Yuvan Shankar Raja; it was his debut Hindi soundtrack.
The soundtrack album consists of six tracks: four romantic numbers including one reprise,
one dance number and in Hashmi’s words, "a dhinchak tapori" song.
The lyrics were written by Irshad Kamil.
The tracks were unveiled on 30 July 2014 and premiered at Radio City.
The reprise "Tere Hoke Rehenge" was the first song to be released, although it was the last
song to be recorded.
Joginder Tuteja from Rediff.com gave the album 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Raja Natwarlal's
music grows on you slowly", further adding, "Since debutant Yuvan Shankar Raja brings
in a new sound with this album, he deserves a few hearings before one pronounces judgment".
Bollywood Hungama gave 2.5 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Yuvan Shankar Raja has absorbed
the ethos of the contemporary Hindi film song with far more accuracy, acumen and sharpness
than any colleague down South with the exception of that redoubtable genius, M.M.
Kreem.
Yuvan Shankar Raja's tunes are quite trendy, and their appeal makes the score sound fresh
despite generic similarities to today's 'hit' music.
His production is immaculate and Irshad Kamil's lyrics as usual vary from the pithy to the
occasionally needlessly Sufi".
References
External links Raja Natwarlal at Bollywoodhungama.com
Raja Natwarlal at the Internet Movie Database