New Delhi: Rituraj Singh, who handed away on the age of 59 within the wee hours of Tuesday, was a member of TAG, the identical Delhi theatre group as Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh Khan.
The two used to rehearse collectively and play soccer. And they acted collectively in SRK’s debut movie ‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’.
Aired in 1989, it was made for Doordarshan by filmmaker-environmentalist Pradip Kishen based mostly on Booker Prize-winning novelist Arundhati Roy’s script drawing closely on her days as a scholar at Delhi’s School of Planning and Architecture.
Those days, SRK, regardless of being well-known for his pivotal position within the TV serial ‘Fauji’, was nowhere close to being the tremendous star that he was to change into, so the position that he was so eager to essay went to Rituraj.
How typically do you see a photograph of ragtag faculty children, all of whom reached a excessive stage of success of their chosen fields?
RIP, Rituraj Singh. pic.twitter.com/RLBmqUOwXX
— Diptakirti (@diptakirti) February 20, 2024
In the movie, which gained two National Awards (Best Feature Film in English and Best Screenplay), Rituraj performed the position of Arjun Kamat, who alongside along with his girlfriend, Radha (portrayed by Arundhati Roy), hatches a plan to show the hostile thesis panel in favour of the titular character and their good friend Anand, referred to as Annie, throughout the submission course of.
Anand was performed by Arjun Raina, an area actor who additionally acted in Kishen’s subsequent movie, ‘Electric Moon’, and is right now higher referred to as a Kathakali dancer and National School of Drama trainer whose college students embody Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Adil Hussain and Ashutosh Rana.
Arjun’s position, which he so badly needed, slipped from SRK’s arms and he needed to fulfill himself with a supporting half. SRK performed a fellow scholar referred to as merely ‘Senior’. SRK, it’s mentioned, by no means actually forgave Arundhati Roy for her casting name!
The central character within the movie, Anand, is idealistic scholar who would research much less and as an alternative dream up utopian options to India’s issues (like planting timber alongside railway tracks the place underprivileged Indians defecate — the faecal matter appearing as compost and the water from sprinklers connected to trains doing the remaining).
Set within the Nineteen Seventies, the movie was excessive on comedy and obtained praised for its lifelike portrayal of latest faculty life. It additionally featured Roshan Seth, finest recognized for taking part in Pandit Nehru in Sir Richard Attenborough”s ‘Gandhi’ (in ‘Annie’, he performed the comical co.lege principal Y.S. Billimoria, a.okay.a. Yamdoot), Manoj Bajpayee and Raghubir Yadav.
‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’ was by no means launched in theatres however has through the years gained a cult standing.
Rituraj Singh, who handed away within the wee hours of Tuesday, was discharged from hospital after he was admitted following a abdomen an infection. His well being situation, nonetheless, deteriorated and he suffered a coronary heart assault to which he succumbed.
