Rituparna Sengupta: Hot and happening

Post-Chingari and Sushmita Sen, Kalpana Lajmi is returning to the floors with a period piece. And leading the cast is Tollywood’s own Rituparna Sengupta, alongside Isha Koppikar, the Bollywood babe seeking a change of image.

“The film is in the planning stage. I am working on the screenplay written by Vishal Verma and Bunty Rathore. The story is set in ancient India; we will probably choose the period of Ashoka. It revolves around a king, his queen, a courtesan and a sanyasi,” Lajmi told Metro on Thursday.

While Isha will be the courtesan, Rituparna will play the queen. “The film explores the position of women in society. Here, there are two women sharing the same man. The common strands and the contradictions in these two women are very interesting,” said Rituparna.

The casting for the two male characters is yet to be finalised, with Lajmi screen-testing “a lot of people”.

Bhupen Hazarika, a fixture in Lajmi’s films, will score the music. “We will probably shoot the film in a 45-day schedule in Bikaner, around April-May,” added Lajmi.

Bond reborn

Daniel Craig as James Bond: Different from the rest. Satya Mukherjee voted for Craig over Brosnan after watching Casino Royale

For Bond fans eager to check out Daniel Craig as the newest super spy, The Telegraph organised a screening of Casino Royale at Priya cinema on Sunday morning.

No one seemed to be complaining about having to troop into the south Calcutta cinema as early as 9 am on a holiday. After all, they were there to catch the 21st James Bond film just two days after its worldwide release.

The lucky ones were those who had responded to the query: “Just tell us why should James Bond read The Telegraph”.

Malyasree Biswas does not usually respond to newspaper advertisements. But she turned out to be first-time lucky. “I was a bit jittery about attending the show; I wondered whether we would get good seats. But it’s turned out to be a great morning,” smiled Malyasree, an HR professional who was there with her mother, a Bond buff.

And the new 007 got a vote of confidence from most. “A blond-haired Bond is a break from the stereotype, but I think he passes muster,” said Malyasree of Salt Lake.

Anurag Hira, from the world of advertising, found it a “super film”. “I was a bit apprehensive since at first glance, he doesn’t really look like 007. But the plot keeps you on your toes. I plan to come back and see it again, just for the lines,” he added.

Rajiv Ghosh’s assessment came with a rider: “Let us not compare him with Sean Connery who was in a league of his own. Connery commanded a cult following. But maybe Craig will have his own in future. He is very different from the other Bonds, tougher yet more human.”

The film came in for full-throated praise from the die-hard Bond fan. “Casino Royale was one of the best Bond movies I have seen,” felt Rajiv. Satya Mukherjee of Lake Gardens voted for Daniel Craig over Pierce Brosnan: “He is more macho.” And Sudeshna Banerjee, fresh from a flurry of festival films, was all for this Bond being the most bruising of all: “The action makes it seem that the man works for his money. In the Connery films, the action was too easy-going.” A small but significant complaint came from Sanju Menon: “I missed Q.”

But all in all, a very satisfied lot left the theatre after a Sunday morning well-spent!