Author: Afsana Ahmed
Publication: The Times of India
Date: June 11, 2005
URL: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1139055.cms
Filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh plans
to rope in actors Dimple Kapadia and Shabana Azmi for his film based on
the epic
From the relative obscurity of regional
films, filmmaker Rituparno Ghosh has entered the very heart of Bollywood.
He has signed on actors Aishwarya Rai, Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan and
Soha Ali Khan for his films. Now, the National Award winning director has
staged a coup of sorts. He's making a bilingual film based on the Mahabharata.
Ghosh has come up with an ensemble
cast. If everything goes well, Ghosh will sign two seasoned actress, Dimple
Kapadia and Shabana Azmi, to play the blind-folded Gandhari and Pandav's
wife Kunti respectively. "I have always wanted to make the Mahabharat.
It will be a simple story, seen through the eyes of the women in the epic.
So women play an integral part in this film," he explains
And is Aishwarya Rai, his favourite
actor, playing Draupadi? "No, I am planning to scout an Asian actress from
abroad. Most of my cast will be from Asia," he says.
Though Ghosh is busy with Dosar,
a Bengali film with infidelity as the theme, starring his two favourite
actors, Prosenjit and Konkona Sen, he has his team busy with the research
work of Mahabharata. "It takes a lot to put things together for such a
film. A lot of research is going into it. I plan to begin shooting in less
than a year's time. I'll be focussing on the personal relationships of
the characters in the epic. I won't be judgmental about the characters.
There won't be any heroes or villains in my film," he explains.
On his choice of actors, he says,
"I'm very fond of Dimple. I approached her and she seemed keen. So she
asked me to get my script in place and show it to her. I am doing that.
And as for casting Shabana in Kunti's role, I think she fits the bill perfectly."
Dimple, on her part, is gradually
getting back to doing more films. In all probability, she'll give the green
signal to this mega project, as she has wanted to work with the likes of
Ghosh. When contacted, Dimple, who's out of the country, said, "I need
to speak to him before I talk to anybody."
