Shreyas Talpade to play Atal Bihari Vajpayee in Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency

Recently, the makers of Kangana Ranaut’s Emergency announced that veteran actor Anupam Kher will essay politician and activist Jayaprakash Narayan aka JP Narayan. 

They have now revealed that Shreyas Talpade will be playing former prime minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The announcement was made by the veteran trade analyst Taran Adarsh on Twitter. 

The first poster of Shreyas as Vajyapee is also out. Going by the actor’s avatar in the film, he plays a younger version of the leader. The poster shows Talpade giving a speech. The hint of a smile seen on his face reminds you of Vajpayee. 

Interestingly, Talpade’s last film Kaun Pravin Tambe? (2022) also saw him play a real-life character. The film is based on cricketer Pravin Tambe. 

Born in 1924, Vajpayee started his activism during India’s independence movement. He soon joined Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and became one of the founders of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, the forerunner to the BJP, which eventually emerged in 1980. 

Vajpayee was one of the activists who protested against the Emergency, which was imposed by then-prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1975 and was subsequently arrested for the actions. Ranaut, who is also the director and producer of the film, plays the role of Gandhi. 

In the biopic of India’s current prime minister, PM Narendra Modi (2019), Anjan Srivastav played the role of Vajpayee.