Rashtra Kavach Om is all set to hit the theatres on the 1st of July. The film, previously known as Om: The Battle Within, has Aditya Roy Kapur in an out-and-out action avatar playing the titular role. In an exclusive interview with News18, the actor revealed why the title of the film was changed after its trailer launch, and director Kapil Verma also addressed comparisons with other action films like Baaghi.
When we asked Aditya why there was a change in title, the actor said, Om: The Battle Within was a title that was always there but the producers felt that Rashtra Kavach Om is something that connected with the audience better. These are actually two of the main conflicts of the film. When you watch it then you’ll realise maybe why they felt that this title would be better. I hope that the audience will still be able to connect to the name.”
Talking about why he gave his nod to the project, Aditya revealed, “First time I heard this, it was a half an hour narration. And in half an hour, you can’t really narrate a two-hour film. But I had a very positive sense from the start. I felt it had a very strong emotional call and anchor that was driving the film. Every film stands on some pillars and I felt those were at the right place right from the get-go. I felt there were some fundamental things that were really working. My initial gut feeling was very positive and that is what drew me in. I felt there was a lot of potential the story could sieve out. It could be something special. As for the external factors, I knew Kapil, and Ahmed sir was involved, so those boxes were ticked as far as action and scale were concerned. But the defining thing was the script.”
Sanjana Sanghi plays the character of Kavya, and it is refreshing to see her play a character who’s not the damsel in distress. When we asked the actress if that was one of the reasons why she said yes to the film, the actress revealed, “It didn’t come to me consciously, but I think that it contributed to me saying yes immediately – how refreshing Kavya sounded in the narration that Ahmed sir gave me. So many things about her was so appealing, and those qualities are something I would personally like to aspire like how independent she is and how self-aware she is. So all of those things (contributed to me saying yes).”
She further opened up about whether she was up for the challenge of playing an action heroine in the film and said, “I think constantly second guessing myself is a habit. It’s also a way that I push myself. But I love taking on the challenge and I was willing to put in everything, so I hope that all that kind of pays off.”
There have also been several comparisons of Rashtra Kavach Om with Baaghi. Director Kapil Verma addressed it and said, “Our producer has already been a director and has made two big films. Obviously jab unka naam aata hai toh people automatically think that yeh film bhi waisi hi hongi, jo I don’t blame them (Obviously when you find his name, people automatically think that this film will also be like Baaghi, for which I don’t blame them). Anyways, Baaghi 2 was a fantastic film, it was a big blockbuster. So comparing that to this film also feels like a great push. And humare producer and Baaghi ke director definitely is Ahmed Khan, but humari kaahani bohot alag hai (Our producer and Baaghi’s director is the same- Ahmed Khan, but our story is different). We have worked more on the story of the film and we have made sure that people are entertained and they know that their emotions are right. Toh woh toh hota hi hai, comparisons to aayenge hi (So it was there, we knew comparisons are bound to happen). But we are happy we are being compared to good films, that’s what is important.”
Apart from Aditya and Sanjana, Rashtra Kavach Om also stars Jackie Shroff, Ashutosh Rana and Prakash Raj in pivotal roles.
