City monuments become backdrop to Tom Alter-starring thriller film

Teacher, sports journalist, author, film and theatre actor. Tom Alter has donned several hats in a career spanning about 40 years with effortless élan.

Teacher, sports journalist, author, film and theatre actor. Tom Alter has donned several hats in a career spanning about 40 years with effortless élan.

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So, whether it was essaying the role of Lord Mountbatten in Ketan Mehta's critically acclaimed Sardar or even playing the 'firang' characters that the man on the street best knows him for, the actor who does not carry a mobile phone has a wide canvas that he splashes with the brilliant hues of his talent.

In his latest outing, Alter does his bit to alter the way people view the Capital of India, by playing a historian-with-a-gun. "I grew up in north India, so Delhi has been my favourite city," says Alter, who plays historian Anil in the forthcoming film With Love, Delhi.

"The historical monuments of Delhi have been preserved very well. It achieves two objectives. One, it makes people think about history. Two, it makes more open spaces available in the teeming metropolis," says Alter, whose character Anil is out to avenge a historic wrong in the film, that also stars other veterans like Kiran Kumar and Seema Biswas.

In the movie, Anil kidnaps builder Karan Khanna (Kiran Kumar) and sends clues related to the cultural heritage and monuments of Delhi to Khanna's daughter Priyanka (Pariva Pranati), who is helped by her history student friend Ashish (Ashish Lal).

"The film has a lot of historical background weaved into the story. It is a very different film," says Seema Biswas, who plays Ashish's mother.

Made by two IIT-Delhi students, Lal and Ashutosh Matela, and a chartered accountant, Manav Vigg, the film is directed by Nikhil Singh and edited by Namrata Rao (of Band Baaja Baaraat and Ishqiya fame).

"We thought of integrating the rich legacy of Delhi with an engaging plot and then approached Tom Alter, Kiran Kumar and Seema Biswas," says Ashish Lal, a 2005 IIT-Delhi graduate. "The film covers several well-known monuments like Bangla Sahib Gurudwara, Khooni Darwaza and Iron Pillar, while racing towards an engrossing end."

Adds Alter, who received a Padma Shri in 2008, "The film has an interesting storyline. All of us (including Biswas, Kumar) decided to be part of it to give a chance to these youngsters, who have done a very good job with the film."