Rituparno Ghosh does his own take on 'Kaagaz Ke Phool'

Mumbai, April 29 (IANS) Rituparno Ghosh had planned to remake the 1960s classic "Kaagaz Ke Phool" in Hindi with Naseeruddin Shah and Shabana Azmi but is now making it in Bengali and has named it "Abaho Mann".

"I wanted to do this subject for a long time. It was to be done in Hindi. But it didn't quite work out. I'm far more comfortable doing it in Bengali with a cast that understands the nuances of the culture where I've located the drama," Ghosh told IANS.

Veteran actor Deepankar De enacts the role played by Guru Dutt in the original, Mamta Shankar is the wife and Ananya Chatterjee plays Waheeda Rehman's role in this real-life love triangle.

"Kaagaz Ke Phool" was based on Guru Dutt's own troubled marriage with Geeta Dutt.

In addition to the distinguished cast playing the protagonists, Ghosh has roped in late Utpal Dutt's wife Shobha Sen as Deepankar De's senile mother.

"Somehow I saw her in the role. Utpal Dutt and I seem to be linked. Last year I directed a film based on his play ('Last Lear'). Now his wife is working with me."

The glamour quotient is provided by Riya Sen, who plays the love interest of Deepankar's and Mamta Shankar's son, played by Jishu Sengupta.

Said Ghosh: "I've worked repeatedly with Riya's sister Raima. I was looking for an opportunity to cast Riya for a long time. She has got lovely features like her mother Moon Moon. In fact, Riya has just completed her work and left for Mumbai."

For the Hindi version, Ghosh had planned to cast Naseeruddin Shah as the filmmaker-husband, Shabana Azmi as the estranged wife, Farhan Akhtar as their son and Vidya Balan as the actress with whom the husband falls in love.

Ghosh will complete "Abaho Mann" in May.

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