During the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, a group of foreigners were taken hostage in the Nariman House, Colaba. One of the five commandos of the Mumbai police were fighting the terrorists till the NSG Commandos arrived. One of them was CBI officer Rohit Sawant.
Interestingly, he is now all set to make his debut as an actor in the Marathi movie Ahilya: Zunj Ekaki, where, incidentally, he is playing a cop. Directed by Raju Parsekar, the film stars actress Pritam Kagne [of Halal (2017) fame] in the titular role, while Sawant plays her support system.
As a hobby, Sawant used to act during his college days and was known for playing the role of the chief of Maratha navy Kanhoji Angre. As per an official press release shared by the makers, Sawant’s friend Subhash Shinde, who is the associate director of the film, informed him about the audition for the film. He appeared for it and got selected.
Sawant got more than mere permission to act in the film from the police department. “He received permission and encouragement from the police department through superintendent of police Mr Nandkumar Nair. For the first time, a police officer will be a lead actor. He received letters from the department and got best wishes too,” said the official statement.
Sawant said in an official statement, “I wanted to join the Indian army as a soldier, but I joined the police force. Anyway, I am serving the nation. I look at acting as a hobby. I got the opportunity and I am proud that I turned it into gold. The appreciation made by DOP [director of photography] Vinayak Jadhav, is of great value for me and I learned lots from director Raju Parsekar and other artistes.”
The first take he gave for the film was memorable for him. “When my first scene was done in the first take, I couldn’t believe it myself.”
Ahilya also marks the debut of Nitin Tendulkar as a lyricist. He is the elder brother of India’s legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Actress Ketaki Mategaonkar, of Shala (2012) fame, has turned singer for this film for the second time in her career.