Vidya Balan confirmed for 'Begum Jaan' - Rajkahini remake

Zinia Sen | TNN | Jan 16, 2016, 12.00AM IST

He had set his magnum opus, 'Rajkahini,' in a brothel on the Bengal-Bangladesh border. And now, as Srijit Mukherji goes national, the action will move to the Radcliffe Line on the west, separating India and Pakistan.



The movie's title has been locked as 'Begum Jaan' and will see Vidya Balan playing the character already made famous by Rituparna Sengupta.

The decision to change the backdrop was taken by the producers. Said Mukesh Bhatt, "Srijit is one of the finest directors in the country today. And it's time he makes a debut nationally or even internationally. But as we tell the story of 'Rajkahini' to a larger audience, the canvas has to be bigger. The film's backdrop is the Punjab border. We are adapting the story to make it more national. Several real incidents from the Partition will be incorporated into the film, which, in turn, will change the texture to an extent."

Mukesh added that though Vidya has already given her consent, the rest of the cast is yet to be finalised. Meanwhile, Kausar Muner, who wrote the dialogues for 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan,' is working on the screenplay.

In Bengal, there's a lot of excitement about the project.And even though speculations were rife if Srijit will begin shooting the second edition of 'Kakababu' after his 'Zulfiqar,' sources say the Hindi film is indeed his next. So, when is the team starting to shoot? "Five months from now," said Mukesh.