''Rajkahini'' (English: ''Tale of Kings'', can also be called ''Tale of the Raj'') is an Indian

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

-language

historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and sw ...

directed by Srijit Mukherji. The shooting of the film completed in June 2015 and the film released on 16 October 2015. The film has an ensemble cast of eleven major female characters led by

Rituparna Sengupta Rituparna Sengupta is an Indian actress and producer who is known for her work in Bengali cinema and Hindi cinema. One of the most successful actresses of Bengali cinema, she rode the crest of her box office success in the late 1990s. She won ...

and also stars

Saswata Chatterjee Saswata Chatterjee (born 19 December 1970) is an Indian actor of television and films based in Kolkata. Born to actor Subhendu Chatterjee, Saswata Chatterjee began his career with a Hindi serial directed by Saibal Mitra, based on Samaresh Majum ...

Kaushik Sen Koushik Sen (born 19 September 1968) is an Indian actor of film, television and theatre based in Kolkata. He is the director of the well-acclaimed theatre group Swapnasandhani. He has won the BFJA awards for best supporting actor for his perform ...

Jisshu Sengupta Jisshu Ujjwal Sengupta (born 15 March 1977) is an Indian actor, producer, television presenter. who predominantly works in Bengali, Hindi and Telugu films. Sengupta made his debut through a Bengali TV series, '' Mahaprabhu'' where he portray ...

Abir Chatterjee Abir Chatterjee (born 18 November 1980) is an Indian actor who mainly works in Bengali cinema. He is the son of theater personalities Phalguni Chatterjee and Rumki Chatterjee. He started his career with Bengali television and made his debut i ...

and Jaya Ahsan in other pivotal roles. It has been remade in Hindi by Mukherji as '' Begum Jaan''. The film was Critically and commercial success. The film was super-hit at box-office surpassing the record of '' Shudhu Tomari Jonyo''.

Plot

In June 1947, the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

passed a bill regarding the partition of Bengal. Delving into the grim history of the Partition, Srijit's movie ''Rajkahini'' is weaved around a border between the two nations that runs through a brothel housing eleven

women A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regardl ...

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

was broken up twice (

1905 As the second year of the massive Russo-Japanese War begins, more than 100,000 die in the largest world battles of that era, and the war chaos leads to the 1905 Russian Revolution against Nicholas II of Russia ( Shostakovich's 11th Symphony ...

, and then during Independence) - officially for demographic reasons and ease of administration - but actually, it was a strictly political move to curtail Bengal politics. The narrative follows the erection of the

Radcliffe Line The Radcliffe Line was the boundary demarcated between the Indian and Pakistani portions of the Punjab Province and Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after Cyril Radcliffe, who, as the joint chairman of the two boundary commissi ...

as the

boundary Boundary or Boundaries may refer to: * Border, in political geography Entertainment * ''Boundaries'' (2016 film), a 2016 Canadian film * ''Boundaries'' (2018 film), a 2018 American-Canadian road trip film *Boundary (cricket), the edge of the pla ...

between the newly formed nations of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

and

East Pakistan East Pakistan was a Pakistani province established in 1955 by the One Unit Policy, renaming the province as such from East Bengal, which, in modern times, is split between India and Bangladesh. Its land borders were with India and Myanmar, wi ...

(present day

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

). As both the

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

and the

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties Subcontinent ; British India *All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan. **Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...

battle it out in courtrooms as to which side of Bengal will get which territory, in another part of Bengal is a brothel, situated right in the middle of Debiganj and Haldibari districts, which is the home and the world to eleven women and two men. Begum Jaan (

Rituparna Rutuparna (IAST): Rutuparṇa ( hi, ऋतुपर्ण) was a king of Ayodhya, and son of Sarvakama, into whose service king Nala entered after he had lost his kingdom. Rutuparna was a master mathematician and profoundly skilled in dice Kali ...

) is the boss, while the other women work under her as

prostitutes Prostitution is the business or practice of engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-penet ...

. Begum's faithful bodyguard is Saleem Mirza (

Nigel Akkara Nigel Akkara is an Indian actor who is noted for his character portrayal in Bengali movies. He acts in theatre as well. Early life At the age of 21, Akkara was arrested with a charge of kidnapping and 17 other cases filed against him. During ...

), a Pathan, and Sujan (

Rudranil Ghosh Rudranil Ghosh is an Indian actor who works primarily in Bengali films. Education Rudranil Ghosh completed his early education at Santragachi Kedarnath Institution, Howrah under West Bengal State Board. He graduated from the Narasinha Dutt Col ...

) as their man-servant and entertainer. Begum Jaan is not concerned about

Hindustan ''Hindūstān'' ( , from '' Hindū'' and ''-stān''), also sometimes spelt as Hindōstān ( ''Indo-land''), along with its shortened form ''Hind'' (), is the Persian-language name for the Indian subcontinent that later became commonly used by ...

or Pakistan, her only concern is her business, which is running badly because of the partition and resulting riots. The local master and Congress worker (

) visits the brothel time to time with gifts for everyone. Meanwhile, the political sky is darkening. The

Radcliffe line The Radcliffe Line was the boundary demarcated between the Indian and Pakistani portions of the Punjab Province and Bengal Presidency of British India. It was named after Cyril Radcliffe, who, as the joint chairman of the two boundary commissi ...

passes between Debiganj and Haldibari, the former being placed in

, and the latter remaining in India. Mr. Profullo Sen (

) from Congress and Mr. Ilias (Kaushik Sen) from Muslim League (who were childhood friends but now separated) meet and discuss about the relocation of the people of the two districts. They discover that in its course, the boundary line has been drawn right through the middle of Begum Jaan's brothel. They meet Begum Jaan and tell her to evacuate her brothel along with her women, who refuses to budge. Meanwhile, the Nawab of Rangpur (

Rajatava Dutta Rajatava Dutta (Bengali: রজতাভ দত্ত; born 11 August 1967) is an Indian actor who appears in Bengali, Hindi and English films. He is often regarded as one of the most celebrated and respected Bengali actors of his generation. O ...

) was relocating with his family and followers to

West Bengal West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...

, where he stayed at the brothel for a night. Begum Jaan complained to him about Mr. Sen and Mr. Ilias, to get them out of their respective parties. After visiting

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

for the meeting of the rulers of the Princely States, he informed Begum that he is not an influential person anymore, and the Princely States were being integrated in the Indian Union, and the titles were being abolished. Begum decided to fight her own battle. Exasperated at the futile attempts to evict Begum and her women from the house, Prafulla and Ilias turn to Kabir (

), leader of a criminal gang, for help. Kabir and his gang commits all kinds of heinous crimes in these turbulent times of riots and violence. They chase Sujan and three other girls who were returning from the market. While Sujan manages to save the girls and help them escape, he himself gets butchered by Kabir. Sujan's death adds fuel to the fire in Begum's heart and they decide to have a final confrontation. Meanwhile, after being rejected by Begum Jaan, Master manages to trap a girl ( Parno Mittra) into his schemes of getting back at Begum. He joins forces with Kabir and Prafulla. Ilias was dissatisfied with Kabir's ways but accepted the events as necessary for getting the job done. That night, Kabir and his gang set fire to the brothel. The women, trained to use rifles by Saleem, put up a brave fight. Most of them get killed, however Saleem himself dies the most horrifying death. After the bloodbath, the remaining women including Begum enter the inferno of the house and willingly accept their death in their own "country", while being narrated the story of the legendary

Rani Padmini Padmini, also known as Padmavati, was a 13th–14th century Rani (queen) of the Mewar kingdom of present-day India. Several medieval texts mention her, although these versions are disparate and many modern historians question the extent of o ...

of Rajputana. When dawn breaks, the house and its inmates have been burnt to dust. The film ends with Ilias, Prafulla, Master and lakhs of refugees from Debiganj and Haldibari coming together to see the remains of Begum Jaan's brothel, as '' Bharata Bhagya Bidhata'' plays in the background.

Cast

as Begum Jaan *

Lily Chakravarty Lily Chakravarty is an Indian actress. She worked in many Bengali and Hindi films. Early life She was born in Dhaka. She was born to Sri Kesab Chandra Chakraborty and Dipti Chakraborty. Career Lily debuted in the Bengali movie Bhanu Pelo Lott ...

as Kamala aka Thamma * Sudipta Chakraborty as Juthika aka Juhi * Jaya Ahsan as Rubina *

Saayoni Ghosh Saayoni Ghosh (born 27 January 1993) is an Indian Bengali film and television actress. She is also a singer and a politician. Her acting debut was with a telefilm ''Ichhe Dana'', and her first appearance on the big screen was with a short role ...

as Koli * Sohini Sarkar as Duli * Parno Mittra as Golaap *

Priyanka Sarkar Priyanka Sarkar is an Indian film and television actress who mosty works in Bengali films. Her first successful film was ''Chirodini Tumi Je Amar'' (2008) directed by Raj Chakraborty. She was married to actor Rahul Banerjee. Filmography Tel ...

as Lata aka Bostumi *

Ridhima Ghosh Ridhima Ghosh is an Indian Bengali film and television actress. She made her acting debut in the Bengali film ''Ratporir Rupkotha'' in 2007. In 2009, she made her television debut in Bengali TV serial '' Bou Kotha Kao '' aired in Star Jalsha. ...

as Fatima/Shabnam *

Ena Saha Ena Saha (born 28 May 1996), is an Indian film and television actress who predominantly appears in Bengali films and television shows. Career She has appeared in a number of Bengali TV serials, including ''Raat Bhor Bristi'', ''Bou Katha Kau'' ...

as Banno *

Ditipriya Roy Ditipriya Roy is an Indian television and film actress working in Bengali-language films and serials. She is known for portraying the character of Rani Rashmoni in the Bengali television series ''Karunamoyee Rani Rashmoni''. Her movies include '' ...

as Nolok aka Bunchki *

as Mr. Profullo Mohan Sen *

as Mr. Muhammad Ilias *

as Saleem Mirza *

as Kabir (special appearance) *

as Master *

as Sujan *

Biswajit Chakraborty Biswajit Chakraborty, (born 29 October 1948) is an Indian film actor who appears predominantly in Bengali movies. He was born in Kolkata, West Bengal. His debut movie was '' Sunya Theke Suru'' directed by Ashoke Viswanathan. He has acted in more ...

as Mr. Akhtar, Inspector-in-charge of Debiganj *

Kanchan Mullick Kanchan Mullick is an Indian Bengali film and television actor and politician. In addition to the television show ''Janata Express'', Kanchan has also acted in movies like ''Mahakaal'' and ''Ranjana Ami Ar Ashbona''. He is also a Bengali theatr ...

as Mr. Shashikanta, Inspector-in-charge of Haldibari *

Nawab Nawab ( Balochi: نواب; ar, نواب; bn, নবাব/নওয়াব; hi, नवाब; Punjabi : ਨਵਾਬ; Persian, Punjabi , Sindhi, Urdu: ), also spelled Nawaab, Navaab, Navab, Nowab, Nabob, Nawaabshah, Nawabshah or Nobab, ...

of Rangpur (special appearance) *

Ashok Dhanuka Ashok Dhanuka is an Indian film producer. He is the founder of Eskay Movies. One of the leading film production house, studio and distribution house in West Bengal. His son Himanshu Dhanuka is also a film producer and distributor. Filmography * ...

as Sardar

Vallabhbhai Patel Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel (; ; 31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), commonly known as Sardar, was an Indian lawyer, influential political leader, barrister and statesman who served as the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of I ...

* Sanjay Gurbaxani as

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

* Dicky Banerjee as Muhammad Ali Jinnah * Patrick Eyre as Louis Mountbatten * Steve Burroughs as

Hastings Ismay Hastings Lionel Ismay, 1st Baron Ismay (21 June 1887 – 17 December 1965), was a diplomat and general in the British Indian Army who was the first Secretary General of NATO. He also was Winston Churchill's chief military assistant during the ...

* Raja Biswas as

Cyril Radcliffe Cyril John Radcliffe, 1st Viscount Radcliffe, (30 March 1899 – 1 April 1977) was a British lawyer and Law Lord best known for his role in the Partition of India. He served as the first chancellor of the University of Warwick from its foundat ...

* Shataf Figar as lawyer of Pakistan * Srijit Mukherjee as lawyer of India

Reception

The film received critical acclaim on its release, despite a few reviewers pointing out cinematic flaws. Upam Buzarbaruah, reviewing for the ''

Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest se ...

'' commented that "...Rajkahini's flaws don't take away from the beauty of the concept or its execution". Shomini Sen of

IBNLive Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...

concluded that "Despite its glaring flaws and over stretched climax it 'Rajkahini''makes for a compelling watch". The film also got a fantastic reception in the Film Festival circuit. It was the official selection at the International Film Festival of India at Goa in the Indian panorama section, Mumbai International Film Festival (MAMI), Imagine India Film Festival at Madrid, Hidden Gems Film Festival in Calgary, Sydney Indian Film Festival, Chennai International Film Festival, All Lights International Film Festival at Kochi, I-Views International Film Festival at Delhi, International Film Festival of Trichur, Habitat International Film Festival at Delhi and competitive sections at the New York Indian Film Festival, International Film Festival of Kerala, Delhi International Film Festival and Melbourne Indian Film Festival. Rituparna Sengupta won the Best Actress for her performance at the Delhi International Film Festival along nominations at New York Indian Film Festival and Melbourne Indian Film Festival.

Remake

A Hindi adaptation, '' Begum Jaan'', made by Mukherji and starring

Vidya Balan Vidya Balan (pronounced ; born 1 January 1979) is an Indian actress. Known for pioneering a change in the portrayal of women in Hindi cinema with her roles in female-led films, she is the recipient of several awards, including a National Fi ...

with an ensemble cast, released in April 2017.

Soundtrack

References

External links

* {{Srijit Mukherji Bengali-language Indian films 2010s Bengali-language films Films set in West Bengal Films about prostitution in India Films scored by Indradeep Dasgupta Films scored by Rabindranath Tagore Bengali films remade in other languages Films set in the partition of India Films directed by Srijit Mukherji Cultural depictions of Jawaharlal Nehru Cultural depictions of Vallabhbhai Patel Cultural depictions of Muhammad Ali Jinnah Cultural depictions of Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma