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‘Cakewalk’ director Ram Kamal Mukherjee forays into Bengali film with ‘Rickshawala’

After success of short film Cakewalk and Season's Greetings, director Ram Kamal Mukherjee is all set to make his debut in Bengali film Rickshawala.
Ram Kamal Mukherjee

After success of short length Hindi feature film Cakewalk and Season’s Greetings, director Ram Kamal Mukherjee is all set to make his debut in Bengali film Rickshawala. Set in the heartland of Kolkata, the film will be produced by Assorted Motion Pictures and SS1 Entertainments. Since I made my foray into direction, people from Kolkata have been constantly asking me to make a Bengali film. Unfortunately I didn’t have a story that would justify the language and the narrative. Finally I wrote a story based on the rickshaw pullers. This particular hand pulley ricks are only seen in Kolkata, specially in certain pockets, their story intrigued me, says director Ram Kamal Mukherjee. 

After success of short film Cakewalk and Season's Greetings, director Ram Kamal Mukherjee is all set to make his debut in Bengali film Rickshawala.
Poster of Rickshawala

Produced by Aritra Das, Sarbani Mukherjee and Shailendra Kumar, the film will also see celebrated cinematographer Madhura Palit as an integral part of the film. When I narrated the concept to Madhura, she readily agreed to be a part of this film. It’s been a passionate subject of Ram Kamal da, and with Madhura’s international recognition at the Cannes Film Festival this year, it will be a bonus, says Das. 

Gargi Mukherjee (granddaughter of legendary actor Bhanu Bandhopadhya) and Saikat Das have executed the additional screenplay. The main lead of the film is yet to be finalized. Actually the script demands new faces and we are having auditions in Kolkata for the male and female lead. Unfortunately I have not found a single face that would justify the character of Rickshawala in the film. Most Bengali actors have accent issue, and if they are acting well then they don’t have the body. So to get the perfect combination of both, I guess I will have to wait, rues Ram Kamal. 

Also read: Ram Kamal Mukherjee first in Bollywood to cast transgender in Celina Jaitlys comeback film Seasons Greetings

This is a film that we are making out of passion and primarily working with students of cinema. We would like to provide platform to new comers to showcase their talent, says Shailendra Kumar. Incidentally the story is loosely based on various incidents that director Ram Kamal had witnessed as a child during his early days in Kolkata.

I grew up in Amherst Street, and I have seen Rickshawala and their families. I feel that this is high time that we talk about them also. In Hindi cinema, or even in Bengali films, we have barely seen them as central character,” avers Ram Kamal. 

Pallavi Nandan has designed the concept of the teaser poster. She is one of the best in the business. Extremely talented and brings in a characteristic that leaves an imprint, says Das. The shooting of the film will start from June end.

“I am desperately looking for a male lead who can pull this role, quietly literally,” laughs Ram Kamal.

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Bollywood

Ram Kamal Mukherjee named ‘Best Director’ for his short film ‘Ek Duaa’ at IWMBuzz Digital Awards

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Nation Next Newsroom | Mumbai

Ram Kamal Mukherjee (R) whikle receiving the ‘Best Director’ trophy at IWMBuzz Digital Awards ceremony in Mumbai

Filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee won the ‘Best Director’ award for his short film ‘Ek Duaa’ at the recently held IWMBuzz Digital Awards ceremony at Taj Lands End in Mumbai. The film is produced by Esha Deol Takhtani and Assorted Motion Pictures. Apart from winning the award, it was a special occasion for Mukherjee as two other films he directed also got recognized.

Esha won the ‘Best Actress’ award in the popular categories for her critically acclaimed performance in ‘Ek Duaa.’ After accepting the award, Esha said: “This film is extremely special for me, because I turned producer with this film and I would like to give entire credit to captain of the ship Ram Kamal Mukherjee for bringing such a wonderful subject to me.”

Avinash Dwivedi won the ‘Most Promising Debut’ award for his acclaimed performance in ‘Rickshawala,’ a film directed by Mukherjee. Avinash, who was accompanied by his wife and actor Sambhavna Seth, said: “This is beyond my expectation that today I am getting this recognition as an actor amidst all Bollywood celebrities for my role in Ram Kamal sir’s film Rickshawala. To get honoured for a regional cinema amidst such Bollywood biggie reinforced my faith in good content.”

Gurmeet Choudhary won the ‘Most Popular Actor’ award for his performance in Mukherjee’s film ‘Shubho Bijoya.’ Choudhary said: “Ram Kamal is an amazing story teller. When he narrated this story to me and Debina, we knew that this film will click instantly. I am honoured to receive this award, though the competition was really tough. I thank my fans and jury members who voted for me.”

Other winners at the award ceremony included Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani, Rakul Preet, Raveena Tandon, Huma Qureshi, Dino Morea, Sikander Kher, Sonu Sood, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga, Manish Paul and other popular names from the Hindi film industry.

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Bollywood

JUST MARRIED! Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt tie the knot | Check pictures

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Radhika Dhawad | Mumbai

The much awaited Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt wedding fans had been eagerly waiting for finally got solemnised today afternoon in the presence of close friends and family members at Ranbir’s residence ‘Vastu’ in Mumbai. Check out some pictures of the same…

Alia took to her social media to write, “Today, surrounded by our family and friends, at home … in our favourite spot – the balcony we’ve spent the last 5 years of our relationship – we got married.

With so much already behind us, we can’t wait to build more memories together … memories that are full of love, laughter, comfortable silences, movie nights, silly fights, wine delights and Chinese bites.
Thank you for all the love and light during this very momentous time in our lives. It has made this moment all the more special.
Love,
Ranbir and Alia ✨♥️”

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt

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Bollywood

The Kashmir Files should be declared tax-free in Maharashtra, says BJP spokesperson Rajeev Panday

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Radhika Dhawad | Mumbai

 

BJP spokesperson for Maharashtra Rajeev Panday, while speaking to Nation Next, said the controversial movie ‘The Kashmir Files,’ which grossed over ₹240 crore in India, should be made tax-free in the state. 

 

Panday told Nation Next, “The movie has managed to depict, if not all, the brutalities on Kashmiri Pandits. It is a bold representation of truth. Kashmiri Pandit community was forced to leave their own homes in the country. Imagine their plight! Maharashtra government should make it tax-free in their state like the BJP did.”

 

The movie, which is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s, has been made tax-free in at least BJP-run eight states namely Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Goa, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had also received requests asking him to exempt the film from entertainment tax in the state.

A lawyer and an actor, Rajeev Panday was appointed as the spokesperson for BJP in Maharashtra in 2017. Besides practicing in The Supreme Court of India and Bombay High Court for around 15 years, Panday has also been a name to reckon with in the entertainment industry.

 

 

 

Rajeev Panday

 

Rajeev Panday

 

 
Panday, who’s acted in Bollywood grocers like Amitabh Bachchan’s starrer Pink and John Abraham’s starrer Madras Cafe, has given many terrific performances on stage. He started doing theatre in 1998 with famous theatre group Act One in Delhi. After shifting his base to Mumbai (in 2003) to practice law, Panday continued to dabble in theatre and films. His recent performances at Ibsen Festival at Prithvi Theatre were appreciated well by the audience and critics alike.
 

 

A law graduate from Delhi University’s Campus Law Centre, Panday has also been actively involved in legal activism. Through his Public Interest Litigations, Panday has raised many pertinent issues like regulation of television content and charitable hospitals not providing free treatment to the poor people.

 

In his longstanding association with the BJP, Panday has served the party as the convenor of its Mumbai Human Rights cell and the convenor of the Election Cell of its Maharashtra unit.

 

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