Rang Rasiya, titled Colours of Passion in English, is a 2014 Indian drama film written and directed by Ketan Mehta, based on the life of the 19th century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma. It was released bilingually in Hindi as Rang Rasiya and in English as Colours of Passion.[1] The film was a cinematic adaptation of the novel Raja Ravi Varma by Ranjit Desai. It stars Randeep Hooda as Raja Ravi Varma and Nandana Sen as his love interest.
| Rang Rasiya | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ketan Mehta |
| Written by | Ketan Mehta |
| Based on | Raja Ravi Varma by Ranjit Desai |
| Produced by | Deepa Sahi Aanand Mahendroo |
| Starring | Randeep Hooda Nandana Sen |
| Cinematography | Rali Raltschev Christo Bakalov |
| Edited by | Pratik Chitalia |
| Music by | Sandesh Shandilya |
Production companies | |
Release dates |
|
| Country | India |
| Languages | Hindi English |
| Budget | ₹12 crore[1] |
Colours of Passion was released at The Times BFI London Film Festival in November 2008. Rang Rasiya was theatrically released in India on 7 November 2014.
Cast
edit- Randeep Hooda as Raja Ravi Varma
- Nandana Sen as Sugandha
- Gaurav Dwivedi as Raj Varma
- Vipin Sharma as Paachan
- Paresh Rawal as Seth Govardhan Das
- Jim Boeven as Fritz Schleicher
- Feryna Wazheir as Frenny
- Rashaana Shah as Kaamini
- Darshan Jariwala as Chintamani Maharaj
- Suhasini Mulay as Sugandha's mother Bakubai
- Sachin Khedekar as Dewanji Madhavrao
- Triptha Parashar as Poorutarthy
- Vikram Gokhale as Keshav Shastri
- Sri Vallabh Vyas as Sugandha's father Hirachand
- Tom Alter as Justice Richards
- Ashish Vidyarthi as Raja Thiurmal
- Rajat Kapoor as Auctioneer
- Shamim Ahmed Shaikh as Old Man Praying
Production
editDevelopment
editAfter his last commercial production Mangal Pandey: The Rising (2005), Mehta chose to make a film on the 19th-century painter, Raja Ravi Varma's life. Incidentally both these movies were based on a subject from the 19th century. Rang Rasiya is an adaptation of the biographical novel Raja Ravi Varma authored by the Marathi writer Ranjit Desai.
Mehta thought that Varma was the most fascinating artist of that era and his character, persona and paintings. He was fascinated with Ravi Varma right from his days at Film and Television Institute of India. After reading Desai's novel, Mehta felt inspired to make a film based on the life and times of Ravi Varma, and set about formulating the story of his new film.[2]
Cast and crew
editWhen Mehta first met Nandana Sen at her house, he saw two life-size reproductions of Raja Ravi Varma's paintings. This indicated to him that she was familiar with the artist and his works, something that he thought would make his job as a director easier. Speaking of the character she was to portray, he said:
"To me, she was the perfect woman to play the muse of an artist who sparked off debates about censorship of art. She has that child-woman quality, which was so much a part of Sugandha's personality."[3]
The much desired controversy regarding "censorship of art" was quickly forthcoming, and Nandana was the willing lynchpin of that achievement. Among several scenes in the film that depict her in various grades of undress, one wide angle shot shows the bare breasts of a skimpily clad Nandana. The Central Board of Film Certification, which regulates the ratings and certification of media in India, duly objected to the scene, terming it nudity.[4][5]
Mehta saw Hooda's previous films Risk and D.[2] In this film, he played the role of Raja Ravi Varma in two phases — first as a 60-year-old and then as a 20-year-old in a span of 10 days.[6] As a preparation for his role, Hooda tried to learn the basics of painting. He was happy working in the film and said that his acting skills were well-groomed by Mehta's abilities.[7]
Paresh Rawal plays an important role in the film.[2] Triptha Parashar, whom Mehta spotted in an advertisement, was immediately offered the role of a princess without auditioning.[8] Feryna Wazheir, who was born and raised in the UK to Kashmiri parents, plays a Parsi girl in the film.[9]
Sangita Kathiwada is the creative consultant and Niharika Khan, the award-winning designer is the costume designer.[10]
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack of Rang Rasiya is composed by Sandesh Shandilya and lyrics are written by Manoj Muntashir
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Rang Rasiya (title)" | Sunidhi Chauhan, Keerthi Sagathia | 4:01 |
| 2. | "Kahe Sataye" | Roop Kumar Rathod, Sunidhi Chauhan | 3:57 |
| 3. | "O Kamini" | Sonu Nigam, | 3:39 |
| 4. | "Anhad Naad" | Kailash Kher, Anwar Khan | 4:38 |
| 5. | "Sun Balam" | Rajashwari Pathak | 3:56 |
| 6. | "Rang Rasiya (Re-mix )" | 5:15 | |
| Total length: | 24:06 | ||
Release
editThe film was screened at 2008 The Times BFI London Film Festival.[11] Rang Rasiya had been languishing in post-production from 2008 due to the Censor Board's objection with certain scenes that involved nudity. It was given a release date on 7 November 2014.[12]
Box office
editThe film, made on a budget of ₹12 crore[1] reportedly grossed ₹4.8 crore in India.[13]
Critical response
editThis section is empty. You can help by adding to it. (March 2024) |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c "Ketan Mehta's Rang Rasiya at BFI London Film Fest". Screen. 22 August 2008. Archived from the original on 23 August 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ a b c "No scope for controversy in 'Rang Rasiya': Ketan Mehta". Nowrunning.com. 27 November 2007. Archived from the original on 8 October 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ "Meet the seductive Nandana Sen". Man's World. Rediff.com. 22 July 2008. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ ApunKaChoice. "Rang Rasiya Censor Board Objects to Frontal Nudity". ApunKaChoice.com. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 13 September 2008.
- ^ "Nandana Sen asks for NOC on Rang Rasiya promotions". Patrika Group. No. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
- ^ K. Jha, Subhash (22 September 2007). "Randeep back in the gym to get in shape". Nowrunning.com. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ Nagarajan, Saraswathy (29 September 2007). "Portrait of an artist". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 8 November 2012. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ Sahgal, Geety (15 August 2008). "Good going". Screen. Archived from the original on 1 February 2013. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ Ghosh, Aparajitha (16 September 2007). "Bollywood newbie Feryna Wazheir is an angelic beauty! Hollywood Actor Jim Boeven was cast as Ravi Varmas friend Fritz Schleizer". Screen. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ De Cunha, Uma (25 July 2008). "Connecting film with other art forms". Screen. Archived from the original on 18 May 2010. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ "Ketan Mehta's Rang Rasiya to screen at London Film Fest". Businessofcinema.com. 12 August 2008. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 22 August 2008.
- ^ "Rang Rasiya to release on November 7, 2014". indialglitz.com. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 7 October 2014.
- ^ "Rang Rasiya / Colors of Passion Box Office Collection". Bollywood Hungama. 7 November 2014. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
External links
edit- Rang Rasiya at IMDb
- Rang Rasiya on Facebook