Rukmini Maitra To Lead Ram Kamal Mukherjee’s ‘Draupadi,’ a Feminist Adaptation of ‘Mahabharata’ (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comNaman Ramachandran After teaming on Bengali-language film “Binodiini – Ekti Natir Upakhyan” (“Binodiini – Tale of a Theater Artist”), director Ram Kamal Mukherjee and actor Rukmini Maitra are collaborating again on “Draupadi.” An adaptation of ancient Indian epic “Mahabharata” from its strongest woman character Draupadi’s point of view, “Draupadi” is based on Pratibha Ray’s 1984 Odiya-language novel “Yajnaseni: The Story of Draupadi.” Ray said: “When director Ram Kamal approached me for the film rights of ‘Yajnaseni’ through my publisher Rupa Publications, I was delighted that even today Indian filmmakers are interested in the story of ‘Mahabharata.’ My book, ‘Yajnaseni,’ is about ‘Mahabharata’ from Draupadi’s point of view with contemporary relevance. ‘Yajnaseni’ is an epitome of patience, penance and power.
It’s a creative collaboration, and Ram Kamal being an author himself, will definitely do justice to ‘Yajnaseni’ and her story.
I feel we are at the right time to revisit our epics and tell the new generation about our culture and heritage.” Maitra added: “It’s pleasure to reunite with Ram Kamal after ‘Binodiini’ because he makes me feel comfortable in characters that are extremely challenging to portray on screen.
It’s an honor to be a part of ‘Mahabharata,’ a subject that is so close to every Indian. Needless to say this will definitely be one of the most challenging role in my career after ‘Binodiini.'” The big-budget Bengali-language project also sees the return of “Binodiini” producers, Bengali film industry star and producer Dev Adhikari via his Dev Entertainment Ventures and Prateek Chakravorty for Pramod Films.
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