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‘Rang Rasiya’ or ‘Colors of Passion’ is the latest movie by film maker Ketan Mehta based on 19th century painter Raja Ravi Varma and his muse Sugunabai. Recently to celebrate the 160th Birth anniversary of Raja Ravi Varma on April 30, 2008, Ketan Mehta had a get together with the cast and crew of his film on the painter. Known for his creative outlook, not following censorship restraints Ketan Mehta has taken complete liberty in portraying Varma’s sensuous relation with his muse.
Ketan Mehta asserted that more than 100 years ago the famed painter was dragged to the court for obscenity and hurting public morality in his art work and even in those times he won his case. In Rang Rasiya Ketan Mehta has restricted the film to a modest budget unlike his last magnum opus Mangal Pandey. The director has cast Randeep Hooda as Raja Ravi Varma and Nandana Deb Sen as Sugunabai. Mehta on the star cast remarked that he has consciously cast Hooda and Sen for the movie instead of established actors.
Ketan Mehta has shot the film over Kerala, Varanasi, Mumbai and Jaisalmer. He also acquired the rights for the novel Raja Ravi Varma by Marathi author Ranjit Desai. Rang Rasiya will be made in both Hindi and English (Colors of Passion) and will be released in June this year. On the subject of his latest film, Ketan Mehta remarked that Raja Ravi Varma was the father of modern Indian art and even early Indian films were inspired by his art works.
