Begum Jaan vs Rajkahini: Vidya might beat national award-winning original

In 2015, director Srijit Mukherji left deep scars in the minds of the audience with his film Rajkahini, which became an official selection at 12 International Film Festivals. During the premiere of the film in Mumbai, veteran filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt was so impressed with the movie that he decided to produce one in Hindi (Begum Jaan) with an ensemble cast.

 

The trailer of Begum Jaan was released on Tuesday and it has already achieved 7 million views on YouTube because of the kind of impact it has already made on the audience. The expectations are on the rise ever since. Vidya Balan, who plays the role of Begum Jaan in the movie, looked indomitable, fierce and stunning in the trailer.

The dialogues, cast, the voiceover by Amitabh Bachchan and the gripping background score will send a chill down the spines of the audience.

 

Rajkahini was a periodic film set in the August 1947 when the British passed a bill regarding the partition of Bengal. The partition of Bengal has a grim history and Mukherji portrayed that to perfection. Rajkahini showcased a gruesome story of the border between the two nations that passed through a brothel house, which had 11 women and their struggle for existence. Prominent actress Rituparna Sengupta had played the role Begum Jaan in this version and she had won a National Award for her performance. 

 

On the contrary, Begum Jaan is set in the same period but on the Western side of India. The story revolves around the partition of India and Pakistan but the plot remains the same as Rajkahini.

In an interview, Srijit Mukherji had mentioned that he had read about the partition of India and Pakistan and the women around the western part of Punjab had similar tales to share just their eastern counterparts.

 

But one needs to know that this film is not only about Vidya Balan, who looks menacing in her role of Begum Jaan, but there are also 10 other women living in the same brothel house who have their own stories to share.

 

Naseeruddin Shah, Rajit Kapoor, Ashish Vidyarthi, Gauhar Khan, Chunkey Pandey are also likely to dominate the screen alongside Vidya Balan and the rest of the actors in Begum Jaan.

 

Check out the two trailers here: