Arjun Rampal is the right choice - Big B

Arjun Rampal is the right choice - Big B

Thanks to Amitabh Bachchan, Dr Chandraprakash Dwivedi’s search for the lead actor of his ambitious film Kunal Avadana is finally over. Arjun Rampal has been signed to play the title role after Bachchan, who plays King Ashoka in the film, suggested Arjun’s name to play his son, Veera Kunal. Looks like Amitabh Bachchan was quite impressed with Arjun’s acting skills after working with him in The Last Lear. Last year, Arjun played a villain in Om Shanti Om and this year he received rave reviews for his strong and silent role in Rock On!! followed by The Last Lear.

A source said, “Kunal Avadana is about King Ashoka and his son, Veera Kunal. Doctorsaab (Chandraprakash Dwivedi) wanted to make the film ever since he came across the subject when he was making the TV show, Chanakya. He wanted to capture the strange yet loving relationship between King Ashoka and his son.”

Avadana is a type of Buddhist literature, which correlates virtuous deeds from one’s past lives to subsequent lives’ events.

“Incidentally, Veera Kunal was born just a year before the great Kalinga war ended and no one has any details of what actually happened after that. However, Doctorsaab got some information from the Divya Avadana (The Heavenly Legend) which has a chapter called Kunal Avadana. The writer of the manuscript is not known though it has been edited by several authors since then. The original script is in France,” said the source.

“Doctorsaab has done research on the subject for more than 10 years. The film is set in 240 BC and will start at the time when King Ashoka converts to Buddhism. Amitabh Bachchan will play the 60-year-old King Ashoka. The film will also have a young Ashoka, which will be played by a different actor. Tabu might also star in the film,” added the source.

The film will be produced AB Corp. and will go on the floors early next year.