Makeover maiden

Scene 1: Riya Sen pottering around in a sari with bun, bindi and a baby bump.

Scene 2: Riya Sen playing a naive and wide-eyed village girl, looking less sexy but more sensuous.
The Sen siren is finally home to make her Tolly debut. And to prove that she too is a director’s actress like elder sister Raima. On the cards is an image overhaul with two films by Rituparno Ghosh. The pregnant, messed-up look is for Abohoman (she plays Tiya in a very brief role). The period piece Noukadubi portrays her as village belle Kamala — a “challenging” role in Riya’s words — alongside Raima’s Hemnalini. Yes, that’s the first film starring the Sen sisters together.
Riya will surely rock Tolly 2009.

The Bong bride

Bipasha Basu too takes her first steps in Tollywood. Under Rituparno Ghosh’s guidance, the Jism girl will be more mind than matter in Shob Charitra Kalponik (picture right). Ballygunge’s Bonny (before she became Bollywood’s Bips) plays a probashi Bangali who returns to her roots after her husband’s (Prosenjit) death. Rituparno has named her Radhika, but she promises to be a far cry from Ranbir Kapoor’s super sexy girlfriend who goes by the same name in Bachna Ae Haseeno.

Feluda in Kathmandu

After Mumbai, Aurangabad and Hong Kong, it’s Kathmandu. Feluda has happily become footloose with Sandip Ray trailing with a camera. The winter of 2009 will find Ray Jr going behind the camera for Joto Kando Kathmandute, one more time with Sabyasachi Chakraborty, Parambrata Chatterjee and Bibhu Bhattacharya. A trip to Kathmandu is also on the agenda — the Nepal capital is where our favourite sleuth will chase and punish drug lord Maganlal Meghraj.

As good as it gets

This year, Prosenjit will be in a different league altogether. Alongside Rituparno Ghosh films, the Tollywood star is also looking at other big directors. Like Sandip Ray. Like Anjan Dutt. We wonder what he will play in Sandip’s edge-of-the seat, suspense thriller Hitlist, with Koel Mullick, Jisshu Sengupta and Tota Roy Chowdhury for company. Next up is Anjan’s romcom Aajker Palatak. Great going Bumbada.

Beyond Bengali

Sandip Ray has more surprises up his sleeve. He is planning a Hindi film on Bonophool’s Kichhukkhan. “It has a moving storyline and I have wanted to do it for a long time.... I haven’t thought of the cast yet. We’ve bought the rights to the film and we plan to start shooting by mid-2009,” says Sandip. The film will be produced by T Sarkar Productions.

D company

BBD is ready for release, Chowrasta is in post-production stage, Madly Bangali is on the floors and Aajker Palatak will roll sometime later this year. But Anjan Dutt wants to “squeeze in” another film between Madly Bangali and Aajker Palatak! That will be Satyayug, starring Soumitra Chatterjee as a powerful and flamboyant media baron. “I want to do the film as soon as possible. It’s something nobody has done with Soumitrada and no one else can do the role but him,” says Anjan.

Foreign ties

Goutam Ghose is looking beyond Indian shores. He has two scripts ready — an Indo-Bangla film based on a Sunil Gangopadhyay novel, and the Indo-Italian bilingual film Lala, which he plans to shoot by the year-end. Shooting for the Bengali film, a tale of love and lust, is slated for the monsoon. But before that, Ghose is bringing Kaalbela to the theatres. Based on Samaresh Majumdar’s eponymous novel, Kaalbela, featuring Parambrata and Pauli Dam, is gearing up for a January release.

Ray’s women

Two Satyajit Ray finds come together in Aniruddha Anuranan Roy Chowdhury’s Antaheen (picture below), slated for a January 23 release. Sharmila Tagore returns to the Bengali big screen after Shubha Mahurat, Aparna Sen after Paromitar Ekdin. Sharmila plays Rahul Bose’s erudite aunt, while Aparna is a feisty corporate woman. The two share screen space, so watch out for the fireworks.

Half-dozen at a time

There are “six releases” to look forward to from production biggie Shree Venkatesh Films. Coming up are Kaushik Ganguly’s wacky comedy Jackpot (picture right), Raj Chakraborty’s Challenge with Dev and Shubhashree, a Ravi Kinnagi film to be shot abroad...

Unlike many others, the fear of recession hasn’t made Zee Motion Pictures see red. It has lined up more than half-dozen films — Beparowa with Prosenjit, Hello Memsaheb with Jeet and Priyanka, Shiboprosad Mukherjee’s Ichchhe, Accident with Jeet, and Handa Bhonda with Mithun Chakraborty. In the pipeline is another film with Jeet, and one by Subrata Sen, starring Rituparna Sengupta and Swastika Mukherjee!

Just jism

Micro mini skirts, noodle straps and steamy scenes on the sands…. It’s no-holds-barred action from Rituparna this year. The reason is Trishna, Tollywood’s take on Jism, where Rituparna plays the bold and brazen seductress Tiyasa. Her John Abraham is Mumbai model Angshuman. To catch the serious side of the Tolly star, wait for US-based Raj Basu’s Piyalir Password. Rituparna unravels the mysterious death of her sister (Roopa Ganguly) in this thriller set in the biotechnology corridor of Maryland.

Kushali Nag