RAM GOPAL VARMA KI AAG

A director who doesn’t care a hoot for convention, Ramu has already garnered ample criticism for venturing to remake Ramesh Sippy’s cult classic Sholay . But ‘Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag’ is far from being a copy of the original. The movie’s setting is contemporary and urbane. Even some character sketches are different.

Character Sketches:
Amitabh Bachchan as Babban Singh (originally Gabbar)
In the dark underbelly of Mumbai City a nihilistic new leader has risen to rule the fetid underworld. His name is Babban Singh. Cruel beyond imagination, psychotically violent and far more devious than any gangster the city has ever known. He perceives other human beings as objects to amuse or occupy him with. And he likes to play with his victims. He does not engage in conversation with anyone. When he speaks, he does so to voice his own thoughts. When Babban is angry, his eyes take on a glazed look. He seems to be looking at you as you speak, but the focus of his gaze rests in the middle distance. It's as if he's looking right through you. He loves people who challenge him, as then he can enjoy killing them more.

Ajay Devgan as Heero, and Prashant Raj as Raj (originally Veeru and Jai)
Hirendra Chavan alias Heero (Ajay Devgan) and Raj Ranade (Prashant Raj) are two young men from Latur, who arrive in the megapolis of Mumbai with big-sized dreams of buying out the city. It's another matter that Heero and Raj are jobless and don't have enough money even to buy a decent meal. Childhood friends, their loyalty is absolute, with the younger Raj looking up to the elder Heero.

Mohanlal as Narsimha (originally Thakur)
Narsimha's eyes retain composure at all times. Dark circles collected over sleepless nights betray the fact he is a man tormented by his own past. Nobody has ever seen Babban Singh and if they did, they didn't survive to tell the tale. But one man believed in his existence. And that is inspector Narsimha, an encounter specialist. His thoughts have single point of focus: Babban.

Sushmita Sen as Durga Devi (originally Radha)
Durga is a trained nurse. Her life blossomed when love happened. But then, tragedy struck. Stoic, dignified, silent, her demeanor hid an inner strength that at times raised itself beyond what one would expect from a woman.

Nisha Kothari as Ghungroo (originally Basanti)
Ghungroo drives a 'rickshaw' named 'Laila'. Laila is her best friend and confidante. Ghungroo is Mumbai city's only woman rickshaw driver. She knows all the shortcuts in Mumbai city. She talks switching between Marathi, Hindi and English. She'd like you to believe she's a man. But deep inside, she is all woman.

As the movie’s story goes, Heero and Raj arrive in Mumbai and find work with Shambhul Seth, a criminal with heavy underworld connections and also high on the police scanner. In his pursuit of Shambhul, Inspector Narsimha comes into contact with Heero and Raj. On meeting them, he realizes that these were no hardened criminals. Small time hoodlums, perhaps, but deep inside their values were still intact.In a deadly encounter with Shambhul Seth, Heero and Raj display their bravery and fearlessness to Narsimha. But the two are also arrested and sent to jail for a while. Much later, when Inspector Narsimha needs help in his hunt for Babban Singh, his brief impression of Heero and Raj returns to him. He decides to enlist the help of Heeru and Raj.
How Heeru and Raj nab Babban Singh forms the crux of the story.