On a colourful canvas

Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen in a still from the movie Rang Rasiya

By Karan Shah

Rang Rasiya based on the life of one of India’s greatest artist, Raja Ravi Varma, was shot across India. The director, Ketan Mehta followed Varma’s path and journey, picturising moments from the painter’s life. “Varma was an amazing painter and the first to create images of God and Goddesses on canvas, winning appreciation from all. Since he travelled a lot we retraced his steps and shot the film at several locations which were all very diverse,” said Mehta.
Mehta informs that they started shooting from Varma’s hometown Kilimanoor in Kerala and travelled to Trivandrum, Vadodra and Rajasthan. “We picturised the last shot in Kerala very close to the waterfall. It was very slippery and dangerous, especially since they had opened the gates and the water came gushing out, flooding the area. Even when the actors were completely drenched, we canned some stunning images,” reveals Mehta.
Some scenes were also filmed at heritage sites like the Baroda and Jaisalmer Palace and the Khajuraho group of monuments considered a UNESCO world heritage site. “It was an amazing experience shooting at the palaces and temples. We easily got permission to shoot at the palaces because Raja Ravi Varma had made a lot of paintings for the royal families residing there and was highly respected. When they heard that we were making a movie on the artist, they agreed. For the international cast and crew, shooting at these heritage sites was a fantastic experience,” added Mehta.
Rang Rasiya which stars Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen releases on November 7, 2014.

Shooting at heritage sites 

While shooting at a heritage site, a film-maker has certain restrictions. One has to take permission from the Archaeological Survey of India a few months in advance (that was the norm few years ago when the film was shot). Mehta points out some of the rules:

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* An official from the Archaeological Survey of India is present while the shoot is on to monitor.

* The film-maker has to submit the script in advance.

* The charges to shoot at the sites are reasonable.

* Care has to be taken that the monument is not damaged during the shoot. Even hitting a nail on the wall is prohibited.

With inputs from Geety Sahgal