Bengali Film’Draupadi’ adapted from Eminent writer Pratibha Ray”s Odia Novel ‘ Yajnaseni” going to Floor soon

Bhubaneswar:5/8/23 :Ram Kamal Mukherjee has announced his next, a magnum opus titled ‘Draupadi’ with Rukmini Maitra. This will be the director’s second celluloid journey with Rukmini after ‘BinodiiniEkti Natir Upakhyan’, a biopic on theatre legend Binodini Dasi. The film will explore the epic Mahabharata from Draupadi’s perspective. The motion poster for ‘Draupadi’ is already out it has already created quite a lot of buzz.

Perhaps the beginning of the humiliation of women from the time of Mahabharata! All of the Kuru clan had to be punished for insulting women. Even today society hesitates to accept women’s rights and success! Draupadi will highlight the story of the humiliated women community! Draupadi is adapted from the Prize-winning 1984 Odia novel Yajnaseni: The Story of Draupadi, by Pratibha Ray. It explores the epic Mahabharata from the perspective of its often-stigmatized heroine, Draupadi.It is worthy to note that Odia Novel Yajnaseni  has more than 100 Edition which is a record in the annals of Odia publishing history.

Dev Adhikari who’s also the co-producer of the film, expressed his confidence in Ram Kamal’s artistic vision and Rukmini Maitra’s acting abilities and sees their unique narrative as a major draw for the project. Prateek Chakraborty, another producer of the film, shared his excitement about recreating the epic saga in its ambitious Bengali form, and the decision to work with Ram Kamal and Rukmini again was a testament to their talents. Meanwhile, Rukmini Maitra, thrilled to collaborate with Ram Kamal once more, acknowledged the comfort he brings to challenging roles on screen. Playing Draupadi is a significant opportunity for her, considering the subject’s cultural significance to every Indian. The motion poster for ‘Draupadi’ was accompanied by a background score composed by the Sourendro and Soumyojit duo. The Sanskrit verses in the poster were written by Ram Kamal himself. The director is currently finishing post-production work on “Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan” while simultaneously conducting research and working on the screenplay for ‘Draupadi’ along with Paawaan Aagarwal.

Ram Kamal expressed his gratitude to the producers, and Pratibha Ray for granting the film rights to her novel, and the opportunity to work with Rukmini again. He also revealed that the film requires four months of pre production and rigorous workshops before filming can start. The rest of the cast and technical team will be finalized once the screenplay is complete. Overall, ‘Draupadi’ holds immense promise as a captivating retelling of the iconic Mahabharata tale, and cine buffs can look forward to witnessing the grandeur of this mythological masterpiece on the Bengali silver screen.

Bengal’s leading actress Rukmini Maitra says, “It’s pleasure to reunite with Ram Kamal after Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan, because he makes me feel comfortable in characters that are extremely challenging to portray on screen. Guess, these are the little perks that you enjoy while working with a friend. He has been wanting to make Draupadi, but he waited for the right time. It’s an honour 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.”

Currently the director is wrapping up his post production work on Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan, and simultaneously working on the research and screenplay of the film. “I am thankful to my producers Dev and Prateek for standing by my vision once again, this time on a much larger scale. I am grateful to Pratibhaji (Ray) for giving us the official filming rights of her best seller novel Yajnaseni. And finally, I am overwhelmed to reunite with my most favourite Rukmini as Draupadi. I know for a fact that we both will have to work hard on this film. I don’t remember when was the last time Bengali cinema produced a mythological film? Hats off to Dev and Prateek for taking that leap of faith with me and Rukmini,” says director Ram Kamal Mukherjee

মহাভারতের সময় থেকেই নারীর অপমানের শুরু কিনা জানি না, তবে নারীর অপমানের দণ্ড পেতে হয়েছিল কুরু বংশের সবাইকে। আজও সমাজ নারীর অধিকার এবং সাফল্য কে মেনে নিতে দ্বিধা বোধ করে! Draupadi তুলে ধরবে অপমানিত নারী সম্প্রদায়ের কাহিনী!
এই দুর্গম যাত্রায় আপনাদের আশীর্বাদ পেলে খুশী হব।… pic.twitter.com/7c0WW3LBMS

— RUKMINI MAITRA (@RukminiMaitra) July 30, 2023