'Rang Rasiya' ready for early 2010 release

Ketan Mehta's Rang Rasiya - Colours of Passion is being readied for release in India in early 2010.

The film, based on the novel Raja Ravi Varma by noted Marathi author Ranjeet Desai and starring Randeep Hooda and Nandana Sen, revolves around the trial of the great artist on charges of obscenity amidst the romance between him and his muse.

Rang Rasiya inaugurated the 'River to River' Film Festival in Florence, Italy on December 4. The film was screened at Odeon, a landmark theatre in the heart of the city.

The organisers were so impressed with the film that they preceded the screening with an exhibition curated by Giovanni Aprile on Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906), Deepa Sahi Mehta, the director's actress-wife said.

The film has earlier been screened at the London Film festival, the New York Film Festival, a festival at Oslo and Sri Lanka. In Florence, Ketan Mehta's film inaugurated the festival in the presence of the Indian Ambassador to Italy and the Mayor of Florence in front of a packed house, she said.  

The film watched primarily by an Italian audience got a standing ovation for its cinematic beauty, technical excellence and bold theme. The audience stayed back for a question and answer session after the screening, Deepa said.

Ketan explained the special place of Raja Ravi Varma to the Indian mind as he was the first to give realistic faces to Indian Gods and Godesses and depict the greatest of Indian stories in his paintings, she said.