Director Ram Kamal Mukherjee is all set to direct Rukmini Maitra in the magnum opus Draupadi. Produced by superstar Dev and Prateek Chakravorty from Mumbai, the film promises to be a visual extravaganza. The film is based on noted author Pratibha Ray’s award-winning Odiya novel Yajnaseni. “My book, Yajnaseni, is about Mahabharata from Draupadi’s point of view with contemporary relevance. Yajnaseni is an epitome of patience, penance and power. It’s a creative collaboration, and Ram Kamal being an author himself, will definitely do justice to Yajnaseni and her story. I feel we are at the right time to revisit our epics and tell the new generation about our culture and heritage,” says Pratibha Ray.

“After watching Ram Kamal’s work in Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan, I realised that he has an amazing sense of aesthetics and visual presentation skill. When he shared his dream of making Draupadi, I felt that he would certainly do justice to the scale and subject. I have also witnessed the range of Rukmini as a performer in Binodiini, and I knew why Ram Kamal wanted to cast her as Draupadi. As a producer, uniqueness of his narrative attracted me. It’s going to be a mind-blowing experience for all,” says Dev.

Ram Kamal Mukherjee

“It’s a pleasure to reunite with Ram Kamal after Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan because he makes me feel comfortable in characters that are extremely challenging to portray on screen. Guess these are the little perks that you enjoy while working with a friend. He has been wanting to make Draupadi, but he waited for the right time. It’s an honour to be a part of Mahabharata, a subject that is so close to every Indian. Needless to say, this will definitely be one of the most challenging roles in my career after Binodiini,” says Rukmini.

The production houses have released a motion poster designed by Ekta Bhattacharjee from Ekta Tales with a background score composed by Sourendro and Soumyojit. Currently, the director is wrapping up his post-production work on Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan, and simultaneously working on the research and screenplay of the film. “I am thankful to my producers Dev and Prateek for standing by my vision once again, this time on a much larger scale. I am grateful to Pratibhaji (Ray) for giving us the official filming rights of her best-seller novel Yajnaseni. And finally, I am overwhelmed to reunite with my most favourite Rukmini as Draupadi. I know for a fact that we both will have to work hard on this film. I don’t remember when was the last time Bengali cinema produced a mythological film. Hats off to Dev and Prateek for taking that leap of faith with me and Rukmini,” says director Ram Kamal Mukherjee.

He will be working along with Paawaan Aagarwal as co-researcher and screenplay writer for this film. “He worked as my chief associate director in Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan. The remaining cast and technical team will be finalised after the completion of the screenplay. This film needs four months of pre-production and rigorous workshop before we hit the floor,” adds Mukherjee.

Prateek

“Mahabharata is one of the most epic tales ever told. The characters, their journey, their redemptions are life lessons. An attempt to recreate this saga is both intriguing and exciting. Having worked with Ram Kamal Mukherjee on Binodiini Ekti Natir Upakhyan, it reinstated my faith in him as a master storyteller who produces what he presents and his vision of Mahabharata bowled me away to start this new magnificent journey. And Rukmini Maitra who has encapsulated the essence of Nati Binodini beyond expectations is here only to fly further and she as Draupadi only takes the bar several notches higher. So I am looking forward to the responsibility of creating this magnum opus with Dev, Ram Kamal and Rukmini,” says Prateek.