Mantra Roped In For The Pivotal Role Of Najib-Ud-Daulah In Ashutosh Gowariker’s Panipat

Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker’s upcoming historical drama Panipat is already making a lot of buzz, especially for its casting. The maverick director, who is known to put together an interesting ensemble cast for his films, has yet again roped in some of the best talents from the industry for this magnum opus.

After securing actors like Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Kapoor, and Kriti Sanon for its main cast, now it is confirmed that popular actor-host Mantra aka Puranjit Dasgupta has joined the stellar cast of Panipat.

The actor, who has received several accolades as a theatre actor, television presenter, radio jockey, model and voice-over artist, will be seen in a pivotal role in the film. Mantra will be seen essaying the character of Najib-Ud-Daulah, who played an important part in the third battle of Panipat. Najib-Ud-Daulah was Ahmed Shah Abdali’s ally and it was he who invited Abdali to India.

Speaking about the latest addition to the cast of Panipat, producer Sunita Gowariker said, “Najib-Ud-Daulah was one of the key persons in this epic battle. He was a Rohilla Yousafzai Pashtun, who was blessed with a brilliant political acumen. For this part, we were looking for an actor who not only looked the part but also had the dexterity to pull off such a complex role. When we met Mantra, we instantly knew that he was the perfect fit for the role. He is immensely talented and we are happy to have him onboard.”

Panipat is based on the Third Battle of Panipat, which is one of the most epic battles in the history of India that took place on 14 January 1761 at Panipat. The battle was fought between the northern expeditionary force of the Maratha Empire and invading forces of the King of Afghanistan, Ahmad Shah Abdali, supported by two Indian allies—the Rohilla Afghans of the Doab, and Shuja-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Awadh. The film is scheduled to release on December 6, 2019.