RANG RASIYA (2014)
Director: Ketan Mehta
Writers: Sanjeev Dutta, Ketan Mehta
Stars: Randeep Hooda, Nandana Sen, Paresh Rawal
Runtime: 132 minutes
Strength: Accurate portrayal of 19thcentury India, good depiction of Raja Ravi Varma
Weakness: Too artistic for the mainstream audience, first part of the movie is too slow
Rating: 2.5/5
Plot: A look at the life of 19th century Indian painter Raja Ravi Varma.
Review: Art-centric biopics are a rarity in Hindi cinema. There isn't anything of significance; therefore, Rang Rasiya can't be compared to anything. Writer-director Ketan Mehta's cinematic celebration of the life and times of Raja Ravi Varma skillfully harmonizes the sweep of period drama, the allure of pretty images and the impact of emotional intensity on a wide canvas that delivers more than just pretty frames. The film articulates ever-relevant truths about the continuing assaults on artistic freedom and the huge gap that separates the exuberance of the imaginary world from the cruel exigencies of real life.
The remarkable story of the 19th century Kerala-born painter who altered the face of Indian art forever by taking the icons of Hindu mythology out of the temples and royal palaces is told through flashbacks and the fragmentary reminiscences of Raja Ravi Varma's illustrious protégé, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke.
This film has been adapted from Ranjit Desai's Marathi biography of Raja Ravi Varma which probes multiple themes - freedom of expression, religious bigotry and class divides, and the dilemma of a woman who dares to surrender herself completely to the man and artist she loves. The film swings from the highs represented by the unrestricted passion that drives the process of creativity to the lows brought on by the interventions of self-appointed guardians of conventional religious belief. Rang Rasiya is bolstered appreciably by the strong performances by the two principal actors - Randeep Hooda as Raja Ravi Varma and Nandana Sen as his muse in Bombay, Sugandha Bai.
Rang Rasiya is by no means a perfect film, but for the manner in which it tackles an extensive range of important themes related to the place of art in a tradition-bound society, it is an impressive achievement.
Reviewed by S.M. Intisab Shahriyar
Credit : http://www.thedailystar.net/