Rajjo
Rajjo is a 2013 Indian romantic musical produced by Four Pillars Entertainment and directed by Sahitya Akademi Award-winning writer Vishwas Patil. It stars Kangana Ranaut and newcomer Paras Arora in the lead roles and its supporting cast includes Prakash Raj, Mahesh Manjrekar and Jaya Prada. The film released in theatres on 15 November 2013.[3][4] The film that earned 2 crores at the domestic box office bore a loss of 10 crores on the venture.
| Rajjo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Vishawas Patil |
| Produced by | Four Pillars Entertainment |
| Written by | Jayant Pawar Vishwas Patil |
| Starring | Kangana Ranaut Paras Arora Mahesh Manjrekar Prakash Raj |
| Music by | Uttam Singh |
Release date | 15 November 2013 |
| Country | India |
| Language | Hindi |
| Budget | 12 crores[1] |
| Box office | 2 crores[2] |
Plot
A romantic musical, Rajjo is the journey of a Nautch girl in the most extraordinary circumstances. It tells the love story of Rajjo (Kangana Ranaut) and Chandu (Paras Arora) set against the backdrop of the dying Kothas of Mumbai that nurtured the traditional art of singing and dancing for centuries.[5]
The story's central characters are Rajjo, a Muslim girl and Chandu, a young Brahmin boy. When Chandu helps his team win a cricket match, the team decides to celebrate the victory by visiting the Kothas of Nagpada. This is where Chandu meets Rajjo who mesmerizes him with her elegant Mujra dance and it is love at first sight for him.[6]
Chandu belongs to a family of music lovers; he is a very good harmonium player, his mother is a Bhajan singer. Rajjo is trained under Kothewali Amma; she is naughty, sweet and quite attractive. Music is the common thread between them, as is the strong attraction that draws Rajjo and Chandu together and seals their love. Simultaneously the Nagpada area goes under the clutches of re-development and all the dancers and singers are under the shadow of this potential danger. Amidst these circumstances, Rajjo and Chandu have to deal with Begum (Mahesh Manjrekar) who runs the Kotha and Hande Bhau (Prakash Raj), a corporator with powerful political connections who has his eye on Rajjo.[7]
Cast
- Kangana Ranaut as Rajjo
- Paras Arora as Chandu
- Sadhana Sharma as Chanda Chandu's Sister
- Mahesh Manjrekar as Begum
- Prakash Raj as Hande Bhau
- Jaya Prada as Jankidevi
- Sharad Shelar
- Deepika Amin as Kamladevi
- Alok as Chandu's Friend
- Rakesh Barsewal as Hijra
- Shruti Bhist as Young Rajjo
- Swati Chitnis as Ammi
- Avtar Gill as Acharya Deshbhushan
- Ravi Hande as Vikram Hande
- Ateshan Hussein as Jaggu (Govind Hande's PA)
- Anand Ingle as Meghraj Shetty
- Kinjal Jain as Chandu's Sister
- Jaiveer as Chandu's Friend
- Kishore Kadam as Daadi Patil
- Mazhar Khan as Hirja
- Suhaas Khandke as Professor
- Shubhangi Latkar as Chandu's Mother
- Upendra Limaye as Inspector Salunkhe
- Manmauji as Chacha (Garage)
- Naren as NGO guy
- Girish Pal as Hirja
- Atul Patil as Chotelal
- Piyusha Patil as Sana
- Poonam Preet as Acharya Deshbhushan's PA
- Aarti Rana as Kotha Girl
- Shivani Rawat as
- Rutwik as Chandu's Friend
- Sachi as Salunke's Daughter
- Rajesh Sahu as Hirja
- Kuldeep Sarin as C.M.
- Sumit Senapati as Chandu's Friend
- Nitesh Shah as Chandu's Friend
- Vipin Sharma as Chandu's Father
- Rizwana Sheikh as Kotha Girl
- Shashank Shende as Gannewala
- Soham Shah as NGO guy
- Dalip Tahil as Lala Pathan
- C.P. Thakur as Bank Manager
- Atul Tiwari as Builder Patel
- Sanjay Tripathi as Hijra
- Vedita as Kotha Girl
Development
Pre-Production and Production
The lead star of the film Kangana Ranaut did extensive research in order to prepare for her role in the film.[8] She visited Kothas and met with women there to understand their body language and mindset.
The makers of the film reportedly spent Rs. 5 crore to recreate the ambiance of Mumbai's red light area, Kamathipura, for their film. It took two months for around 700 workers to construct the set under the guidance of art director Muneesh Sappel.
The music of the film was recorded in London's Abbey Road Studios by composer Uttam Singh.[9]
Crew
- Banner - Four Pillars Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.
- Distribution - WAVE CINEMA Ponty Chadha Release.
- Director- Vishwas Patil
- Producer- M. H. Shah & U. A. Karande
- Cinematographer - Binod Pradhan
- Music & Background Score- Uttam Singh
- Editor- Rajesh Rao
- Production Designer- Muneesh Sappel
- Executive Producer - Priyadarshini
- Original Story- Jayant Pawar
- Screenplay - Vishwas Patil
- Lyrics - Sameer Anjaan, Dev Kohli
- Action Director- Salam Ansari
- Choreographer- Ganesh Acharya
- Dialogue- Atul Tiwari & Vishwas Patil
- Sound Design - Vikram Biswas
- Costume Designer - Reza Shariffi
- Art Director
Soundtrack
Music of film is composed by Uttam Singh, lyrics penned by Sameer and Dev Kohli.
| No. | Title | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Jhulmi Re Jhulmi" | Bela Shende | 4:59 |
| 2. | "Mere Dil Ki Train" | Shaan, chorus | 4:46 |
| 3. | "Kaise Milun Mein Piyaa" | Javed Ali, Bela Shende | 6:53 |
| 4. | "Kaleja Hai Hazir" | Bela Shende | 4:29 |
| 5. | "Mere Ghoongru" | Javed Ali, Bela Shende | 7:13 |
| 6. | "Ye Kothe Ye Ghoongru" | Shubha Joshi | 1:21 |
| 7. | "Bille Ke Jabde Mein" | Mumbai Voices | 1:16 |
| 8. | "Theme of Rajjo" | 3:21 |
References
- "Rajjo And Satya 2 Are Box Office Flops". Koimoi.com. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- "India Box Office Verdict: Top Flops Of 2013". Koimoi.com. 9 January 2015. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- "I hope 'Rajjo' becomes a game changer for me, says Kangana Ranaut - IBNLive". Ibnlive.in.com. 8 October 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- "`Rajjo` not competing with `Ram Leela`, says Kangana Ranaut". Sify.com. 6 October 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- "Rajjo: I visited 'kothas' for research, says Kangana Ranaut - IBNLive". Ibnlive.in.com. 11 May 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- "Kangana Ranaut's Rajjo to have red light area set worth Rs 5 crore". Hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- "Kangna becomes struggling mujra dancer on screen - The Times of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 8 December 2012. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- "Kangna Ranaut Had To Do Research For 'Rajjo'". Bollywoodjournal.com. 4 October 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
- "Uttam Singh records the music of 'Rajjo' at the Abbey Road Studios, London | Zee News". Zeenews.india.com. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 27 February 2015.