Amol Palekar to return to big screen after 22 years

Mumbai, Sep 8 (UNI) Actor Amol Palekar will return to the big screen after a gap of 22 years in a Marathi film, 'Samaantar', which he will also co-direct.

''I stopped acting because it did not interest me. I found the role in 'Samaantar' exciting. Directing a film and also acting is strenuous but Sandhya Gokhale (who also wrote the script) my co-director, made it easier,'' said the actor, whose last film was 1996's 'Khamosh', in a statement.

The film, which deals with two persons' frozen but impeccable love, will be shot in Pune and Kolkata. Its cast will include iconic Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore, Makarand Deshpande, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Kishor Kadam, Aishwarya Narkar and Radhika Apte.

''Considering the contribution of Marathi cinema, its exceptional performers and the audience response, we felt compelled to be a part of the Marathi film industry,'' said Rajesh Sawhney, president of Reliance Big Entertainment, whose subsidiary Big Pictures will produce the film.

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