The upcoming Bengali film Amaar Labongolota is a psychologically taut tale that is based on Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s renowned novel Rajani. The story revolves around three protagonists, Rajani, Amaranth, Sachindra and Labongolota. While the book sees Rajani as the protagonist, in director Bappa Banerjee’s interpretation of the novel, he focuses on the versatile character of Labongolota which is played by the multifaceted actress Rituparna Sengupta. Rajani (played by Taniya) is the beautiful daughter of flower vendors and is famous for making garlands. To the readers, it is almost unbelievable that she is visually challenged. Labongolota on the other hand, is a beautiful woman who loves passionately. As the story has it, Labongolota lets go of her first love, Amarnath, under the brutal pressure of her father, to be forcefully married to a 63-year-old man and be a peaceful, lovely homemaker. Despite her husband having an ailing wife (played by Papiya Adhikari) and two sons, Labongolota depicts her intelligence and homeliness by being the perfect wife.

The film moves on to reveal that Rajini is a common visitor to Labongolota’s Ballygunge home and she has an inclination towards Labongolota’s elder stepson, Sachindra. However, Labongolota is not in support of the union and gets Rajani married to Gopal who is also a married man with a resentful wife. Gopal’s wife then sends Rajani off by wicked means only for her to be discovered by the estranged Amarnath. Thus, bringing Labongolota in a full circle of life. Labongolota’s reaction on seeing her long lost love, Rajani’s determination to be with Sachindra and how the story evolves at large will definitely have intriguing elements. Imploring the themes of separation, love, protectiveness and family, the film is expected to be a creative take on Rajani and show the 1877 novel in a new light.

“Working with Ritu (Rituparna) is a different kind of fun. She is a completely different artiste and it is always a pleasure to work with her. All the cast members have done an excellent job with their characters. We wanted to release the film in April or May but keeping the elections in mind, we shall fix a date accordingly. Literature is somehow getting lost in translation in the day of mobiles. A lot of people don’t read books so if they watch the film, it’s a window to literature that is such an important part of our being. Amaar Labongolota is an adaptation of the novel that is a gem and I hope this film is a sweet experience for the audience. The film has the essence of the films by Tarun Majumdar and Chokher Bali. It’s an enchanting and beautiful story of love and romance,” said director Bappa Banerjee.