Srijit Mukherjee's directorial Begum Jaan starring Vidya Balan has been the talk of the town ever since the trailer of the…
Begum Jaan poster (Photo: Facebook)
Srijit Mukherjee's directorial Begum Jaan starring Vidya Balan has been the talk of the town ever since the trailer of the film was released and what makes it even more intriguing is its uncanny resemblance with the Bengali film Rajkahini starring Rituparna Sen Gupta.
Interestingly, ‘Rajkahini’ was also directed by Srijit Mukherji and it was released in 2015. The film became one of the most critically acclaimed films of that year.
Set at the backdrop of the India-Pakistan war, Rajkahini was based on a brothel that is situated between the two nations.
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Although, the plot and the screenplay of the movie are same, the lead characters Rituparna Sen Gupta and Vidya Balan are different in their own way.
According to the director, Vidya’s character is more feminine than Rituparna’s portrayal of Begum Jaan.
“While the plot points and turn of events are the same, characterisation is different because I have added few sequences and layers to Begum Jaan's character which is less masculine. We have shown the softer side of Begum Jaan which is not there in Rajkahini. These two are different Begum Jaans, so it is difficult to compare. There are romantic and maternal aspects that have come out more in the Hindi version. In Bengali version it was much drier, sturdier and more masculine whereas Vidya’s character is more feminine and slightly more attractive," Srijit Mukherji was quoted as saying.
So, is Srijit's justifications right or is it just a case of creative Deja vu?
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