Bharat: Jackie Shroff unites with Salman Khan after 8 years to play his father

By Bollywood Reporter

on July 23, 2018

The shooting of Salman Khan's next, Bharat has kick started. The Ali Abbas Zafar's directorial has a stunning cast comprising Priyanka Chopra, Disha Patani, Sunil Grover, Tabu, Aasif Sheikh and Shashank Arora, apart from Salman. The film is an official Hindi adaptation of South Korean film, titled Ode To My Father, released in 2014.

According to a report published in a leading entertainment portal, Jackie Shroff is the latest addition to the cast of the film. The report suggests that the actor is set to play the role of father to Salman's character in the much anticipated drama. It also states that while Jackie's role isn't big, it's definitely an important one.

The report quotes a source explaining, "The role of Salman’s father may not be a big one but it’s pivotal to the film and shapes Salman’s character and who he becomes later. It was Salman who wanted Jackie to play this powerful role. They get separated during the Partition in Bharat but his father’s words and desire to reunite with him remains right till the end".

In Ode To My Father, there's a scene in which the protagonist's father tells him that if he ever goes away, he shall take charge of the family and put the needs of the family first than anything else in the world. In Bharat, Jackie's character holds the same value and transfers it to his son during the partition of 1947.

The source also adds, "As the firstborn, Bharat (the name of Salman's character) becomes his family’s breadwinner from an early age, doing all manner of odd jobs to support the family. The film begins from a modern day elderly couple (Salman and Priyanka) reminiscing about their past and how they fell in love and got married".

Well, Bharat seems to have got some well-etched characters and Jackie's role is sure to add more excitement to the film. As is, it will be interesting to see both him and Salman together on-screen after eight years. The two were last featured together in Veer, released in 2010.

Bharat, produced by Alvira Khan Agnihotri, Bhushan Kumar, Atul Agnihotri and Krishan Kumar Dua, is slated for release on June 5, 2019.