Review : Rang Rasiya

Cast: Randeep Hooda (Raja Ravi Varma), Nandana Sen (Sugandha), Gaurav Dwivedi (Raj Varma), Vipin Sharma (Paachan), Paresh Rawal (Govardhan Das), Jim Boeven (Fritz), Feryna Wazheir (Frenny), Darshan Jariwala, Suhasini Mulay, Sachin Khedekar, Tom Alter, Tripta Parashar, Vikram Gokhale, Rashaana Shah

Genre: Drama, Art-Centric Biopic

Direction: Ketan Mehta

Production: Deepa Sahi, Anand Mahendroo, Ketan Mehta

Written By: Ketan Mehta

Screenplay by: Sanjeev Dutta

Cinematographer: Anil Mehta

Music: Sandesh Shandilya

Release Date: 7th November, 2014

Language: Hindi

Duration: 2 hours 12 minutes

Rang Rasiya, a film by Ketan Mehta, is based on the novel Raja Ravi Varma by Ranjith Desai, a celebrated Marathi writer. It becomes very challenging for me to review such movies, where real stories are told, or some sort of biopic is made. This movie also may not be devoid of shortcomings, but such movies celebrate the life of someone, and one gets to focus only on the story. It took more than five years to see the release of this movie in India. In Kerala, the release is further postponed.

Rang Rasiya is an art-centric biopic, drama based on the colourful life of Raja Ravi Varma (19^th Century), one of the greatest Indian painter of all time. The story lets us know, how he re-discovered our ancient culture for us.

The movie begins with the auction of Raja Ravi Varma’s painting and then the story moves further in flash back. Ravi Varma showed his artistic capability right from his childhood days. Later, when he grows up (Randeep Hooda), he gets married to a princess and moves to her palace (as part of marumakkathayam system). Being an eccentric painter, he was inspired by the beauty around, even a maid in the palace became his inspiration. He was not born in a Royale family but the ‘Raja’ status was conferred to him by Travancore king who was very pleased with his artworks. He gets to stay in the royal palace and enjoys the colours of life with the girls, but soon is thrown out of the palace on the death of the King  by the successor to the throne.

Raja Ravi Varma moves to Bombay and later on gets a big project from the Maharaja of Baroda Palace. He gets to travel all across the country and then he gets his idea of telling Ramayana, Mahabharata, rather the culture of India through his artwork. His muse was Sugandha (Nanadana Sen). Gods and Goddesses got face through his painting. He joined hands with the German printer Fritz Schleizer (Jim Boeven) and an Indian businessman Govardhan Das (Paresh Raval) to set up a lithographic printing press in Bombay to reproduce his paintings.  His paintings took the icons of Hindu mythology out of the temples and royal palaces and made available to the so-called untouchables, common man. He was getting famous and respected by many people all across the country and on the other side he became the eye of the storm for many religious fundamentalists. Raja Ravi Varma had transformed by then into a highly talented and rebellious artist. He was dragged to the court for hurting the religious sentiments of people, trying to destroy the culture of our country. Story unfolds as part of court hearings.

Rang Rasiya questions that why artists are not given creative freedom. Issues viz. religious prejudices, deeply ingrained caste and class divides are also covered.

The movie also mentions about Raja Ravi Varma’s illustrious protégé, Dhundiraj Govind Phalke who later became the Father of Indian Cinema (Dada Saheb Phalke).

The relationship between the artist and his muse is explored so beautifully and shot so aesthetically. It is amazing to see the artist drawing his inspiration from the beauty around and making it alive through the canvas. Also, it is beautifully depicted, how the muse surrenders herself completely to the man (artist) she falls in love with and even dares to bare herself so that the artist could paint the stories he most cherished and wanted to express. The scene where both the lead protagonists Ravi Varma and Sugandha lay painted in colours of passion is also very well shot.

Though the movie has its own dragging moments, the story unfolds through great cast and their performances beautifully. Randeep and Nandana suit their respective characters so well.

Rang Rasiya indeed has colours of art, passion, love. Watch it for one of the most amazing artist our country has seen – Raja Ravi Varma.

Rating: 3 /5