Pavan Malhotra- My look as Salim was inspired from Dawood Ibrahim

With its proposition of 'Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana', Zee Classic is India's only Hindi movie channel that endeavors to recreate the magic of iconic classics and new age cinema by showcasing not just the films that shaped Indian cinema

With its proposition of 'Woh Zamaana Kare Deewana', Zee Classic is India's only Hindi movie channel that endeavors to recreate the magic of iconic classics and new age cinema by showcasing not just the films that shaped Indian cinema. In its recent association with National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), Zee Classic will premiere 'India's Finest Films', a distinguished property showcasing masterpieces from alternate cinema. In its third week, Zee Classic premieres 'Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro' from India's Finest Films, this Saturday, on 30th July at 10 PM.

Starring Pavan Malhotra in the lead, this Saeed Akhtar Mirza directorial chronicles the lives of Muslim youths in the aftermath of communal conflicts in erstwhile Mumbai. Set in the 1980's Hindutva mobilization era, this is the story of a small time thief Salim Pasha, fondly addressed as Salim Langda for his walking style, his rise in the world of crime and the eventual awakening.

In an exclusive interview, the actor Pavan Malhotra who played the lead says "When I was first offered the film, I was a little shocked. I asked Saeed that have you thought well. It's a very important film for you and you must not rush for casting. But his assistant told me, it's been thought through well for 3 months so there is no chance of a haste. Saeed told me to get into the skin of the character. I use to observe the small time goons to work on the look. They had this long hair, drooping moustache look. In fact, if you would look at Dawood Ibrahim's picture from the late 80's, even he had a dropping moustache. Salim's look was inspired from that. And Salim was not Langda, he use to flap his foot while walking hence the name Salim Langda. Goons use to have these nicknames in the then Mumbai and our film's title was styled on that."

With stellar performances to its credit, 'Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro' won two National Awards in two consecutive years- Best Feature Film in Hindi in the year 1989 and Best Cinematography in 1990 to Virendra Sain. India's Finest Films will showcase classic films like 'Ek Doctor ki Maut', '27 Down' , 'Sooraj Ka Saatvan Ghoda' along with contemporary films like 'The Good Road', 'Qissa' amongst many other such gems from the NFDC library every Saturday, at 10 PM.

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