No Laughs For 'Rann' Reporter Riteish

The funny man has transformed into a grave and angry sort. In keeping with his role of a "serious investigative reporter" Purab Shastri in 'Rann', Riteish Deshmukh, known primarily for his howlarious capers and comic timimg, kept a low profile on the sets. No jokes. No giggles, guffaws and light banter. Rather, he dwelled into the brooding, intense psyche of his character and kept his angst intact.

Director Varma states in a Press interface that it was the person behind the persona of Ritesh that made him handpick the actor for this role. "In real life, Riteish is a deep thinking serious guy. It's only in films that he has been showing playing comic characters. I didn't want to typecast him."

On a lighter note, Varma chuckles that media speculation is rife that 'Rann' is his cinematic vengeance against the media. The reference, obviously, lies to Varma's ill-timed visit with Deshmukh to Mumbai's Taj Mahal Hotel, post the 26/ 11 hostage drama, for which he earned truckloads of flak from the media.

"The media thinks that it is Riteish's and my revenge on them," laughs Varma

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