BFI
Both strikingly beautiful and audacious, Ketan Mehta's latest film charts the life of the great Indian artist Raja Ravi Varma, from his early days under the patronage of a King of Kerala, in the mid 1800s, moving on to British Bombay, where he makes his fortune. Here the genius gives birth to Indian modern art, helps inspire the independence movement and the dawning of Indian cinema with his depictions which bring to life the Hindu gods and goddesses. But first he must find his muse who comes in the lavish form of Sugandha (Nandana Sen).
Varma's fascination for his model turns into a torrid, paint-smeared love affair, which is reflected in his art. The religious power brokers see his increasingly eroticised work as dangerous and Varma is dragged to the British courts to be tried for blasphemy. Mehta's homage offers not only a spectacular insight into a turning point in Indian history, but also questions the freedom of the artist in contemporary society. Not to be missed!
Rediff
To celebrate the 160th birth anniversary of famed artist Raja Ravi Varma , director Ketan Mehta had a get together with the cast and crew of his latest film, Rang Rasiya.
The film stars Randeep Hooda, who will portray Raja Ravi Varma. Nandana Sen will play the sultry Sugunabai, Varma's muse.
Earlier, Malyali director Shaji N Karun had also planned a film on the artist, and hoped to cast Ajay Devan and Madhuri Dixit in the lead roles. Unfortunately, the film ran into trouble, purportedly because Madhuri refused to appear in semi-nude scenes that the film required.
Shaji, in an interview to rediff.com, gave his interpretation of the story. "The relationship between Raja Ravi Varma and his lover was that of sun and sunflowew," he said. "At the fag end of the day, the flower withers in the heat of the sun. It follows the sun from morning till evening. She stood by Varma throughout but in the end, she ran away from him."