“Nalini” to go on floors this October

After reigning Bollywood for years and then making waves in the US film and television industry, Priyanka Chopra has a new focus: to tell the love story of a 17-year old Rabindranath Tagore. The Bangla-Marathi film is expected to begin production this October.

The announcement came on Tagore's 156th birth anniversary, from National Award-winning Ujjwal Chatterjee, who is set to direct the film from a script written by his wife Sagarika. “It was a platonic love story and the film will narrate it from the point of view of a young student, who visits modern-day Santiniketan and sees a picture of Annapurna captioned 'Nalini',” National Award-winning director Ujjwal Chatterjee told Mumbai Mirror.

The director also informed that casting is in progress and the film might go on floors in October. The film was initially titled “Sound of Silence” but later renamed.

“When we met Madhu Chopra (Priyanka's producer mother) around two years ago, they wanted to know how much of the story was factually accurate and true. I showed them my research and they agreed to produce the film. It has since materialised into a saga of unrequited love,” he added.

Talking about the project, Madhu Chopra said, “Priyanka wants good stories to reach audiences. 'Nalini' has great potential and is an entertaining subject. We're happy to be associated with it.”

After exploring Marathi, Punjabi, Bhojpuri, Sikkimese and Goan films, Priyanka's Purha's Purple Pebble Productions is eyeing the Bangla- Marathi film, which will reportedly also be dubbed in Hindi. Priyanka, as a producer, has been able to put a strong foot forward with every move she has made. Her Marathi venture “Ventilator” added another feather to her cap by winning big at the National Awards this year.

The period-romance recreates Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore's real life romance. In 1878, when he was 17 and staying with Dr Atmaram Pandurang Turkhud at his Mumbai home, Tagore fell in love with his 20-year-old daughter, Annapurna, who became his tutor and inspired him to write poems. On Annapurna's insistence, he gave her the name Nalini, and immortalised her in a poem he wrote for her and set to music too.

Source: KoiMoi, Indian Express