Basu to remake Rajnigandha

For those who���������ve watched the Amol Palekar, Vidya Sinha and Dinesh Thakur starrer Rajnigandha, here���������s some good news.
Director Basu Chatterjee, who made the Hindi film way back in 1974, is all set to remake it in Bengali. Besides, he is also gearing up to make another film ��������� an adaptation of a Bimal Kar work.
Talking about his Bengali remake, Chatterjee says, ���������There was a proposal to remake the film and hence, I accepted it.More or less, I���������ll stick to the original version.��������� Rajnigandha was based on a story titled Yehi Sach Hai by Hindi writer Manu Bhandari. The film is about Deepa (Vidya Sinha) who is in a long-term relationship with Sanjay (Amol Palekar). Though Sanjay is a nice human being, he is forgetful and has no sense of punctuality. An interview call re-acquaints Deepa with former boyfriend Navin (Dinesh Thakur). Emotions are rekindled and soon she finds herself torn between the two men.
There is, of course, a section of movie-buffs who will question the relevance of this remake in today���������s times. ���������The subject is contemporary,��������� Chatterjee says, ���������Only those who don���������t understand cinema will raise such doubts.���������
Incidentally, the title of the film will be changed in the Bengali remake. ���������We are working on some titles. This film will be a joint venture between Kolkata and Dacca. We haven���������t yet got the permission from the government. Once that comes through, we will begin the casting. Fifty per cent of the cast will be taken from Bangladesh. The rest will be from Tollywood.��������� So, is he looking at stars like Prosenjit and Rituparna? ���������No I���������d want to go for young actors.��������� So, would that be Jisshu or Paoli? ���������I���������ve worked with Paoli. I know Jisshu very well. It���������ll take another three-four months to finalise the cast.��������� What about the music? Lata Mangeshkar���������s Rajnigandha phool tumhare and Mukesh���������s Kai baar yuheen dekha hai from the original Hindi movie are evergreen favourites. ���������Salil Choudhury had composed the songs for Rajnigandha. I���������d want someone from Kolkata to score for the Bengali film,��������� he says.
In the pipeline is another Bengali film. ���������I���������ve liked this story by Bimal Kar and am trying to get the rights. I shall reveal the name only when I procure the rights. The shooting of the remake will take a maximum of 15 days. Once that���������s over, I���������ll begin work on the adaptation of Kar���������s work.���������
The director, at 80, sure hasn���������t lost his zeal to make movies. ���������I still have the same desire to make films. Most importantly, at 80, I���������m fit enough to direct.���������
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