Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish is a 2012 Bengali-language film written and directed by Rituparno Ghosh. The film premiered on 25 May 2012 at the New York Indian Film Festival.[1] The film tells the story of a choreographer who is struggling with his gender identity. It is loosely based on Rabindranath Tagore's play Chitra; which is Tagore's take on the story of Chitrāngadā, a character from the Mahābhārata.[2]
Chitrangada: The Crowning Wish | |
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Directed by | Rituparno Ghosh |
Written by | Rituparno Ghosh |
Produced by | Shree Venkatesh Films |
Starring | Rituparno Ghosh Jisshu Sengupta |
Cinematography | Abhik Mukhopadhyay |
Edited by | Arghyakamal Mitra |
Music by | Debojyoti Mishra |
Release dates |
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Running time | 135 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Bengali |
Plot
editRudra Chatterjee (Rituparno Ghosh) has spent his life going against social convention. As a young man he defied his father's wishes, and became a choreographer instead of an engineer. As he prepares with his team to stage Tagore's Chitrangada, he meets Partho (Jisshu Sengupta) who is a drug-addict percussionist introduced to the team by the main dancer Kasturi (Raima Sen). Soon, Rudra develops chemistry with Partho and they fall deep into a passionate love affair. During the course of their relationship, they decide to adopt a child. But there is one problem: same-sex couples are not permitted to adopt children. So Rudra decides to go through a gender change treatment to embrace the womanhood he longs for. But will this surgery change his life and fulfill all his long-cherished dreams? The story ends with the line "Be What You Wish To Be".
Cast
edit- Rituparno Ghosh as Rudra "Khokon" Chatterjee
- Jisshu Sengupta[3] as Partho, the percussionist
- Anjan Dutt as Subho
- Anashua Majumdar as Rudra's mother
- Deepankar De as Rudra's father
- Raima Sen as Kasturi in a guest appearance
- Aparajita Auddy as Mala in a guest appearance
- Kaushik Banerjee as Manish
- Sanjoy Nag (cameo appearance) as Rahul (Rudra's ex-boyfriend)
Awards
editReferences
edit- ^ "NYIFF 2012 Centerpiece : Chitrangada". New York Indian Film Festival. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ Roychoudhury, Amborish. "Rituparno Ghosh and the enduring influence of Tagore". Mint.
- ^ "'Chitrangada' Indian premier at Osian festival". IBN Live. 26 July 2012. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
- ^ "60th National Film Awards Announced" (PDF) (Press release). Press Information Bureau (PIB), India. Retrieved 18 March 2013.