It's my dream project: Filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee on remake of Anandamath

You cannot certainly ride on a man-pulled rickshaw, go on the down memory lane and beyond and revisit Anandamath that gave the first mantra to the Swaraj movement- Vande Mataram, 150 years ago, so easily. But the author and editor turned filmmaker- Ram Kamal Mukherjee, is riding on the success of his third feature film- "Rickshawala" and giving it a shot to offer a rare celluloid experience. Mukherjee is joined by the former Zee Studio Head Sujoyy Kuttiy to create their magnum opus "1770 - Ek Sangram", inspired by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay's best-selling nationalist novel Anandamath. The film will also mark the 150th year of 'Vande Matram' that triggered the Swaraj movement in India against the British Empire. Mukherjee-Kutty-duo roped in none other than KV Vijayendra Prasad of Bahubaali and RRR fame, to helm the creative of this magnum opus and remake of Bankim Chandra's Anandamath. Produced by Shhailendra Kkumar from SS1 Entertainment, Suraj Sharma from PK Entertainments, the film will be made in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu.

After winning the hearts of critics and audience worldwide for his film 'Season's Greetings', Mukherjee's third feature film Rickshawala, set in the heartland of Kolkata, also fetched 11 international and national awards at film festivals and was selected at the prestigious ImagineIndia International Film Festival in Madrid, Spain. But recreating Anandamath will be a much bigger challenge for the young filmmaker and Mukherjee minces no word in admitting that.

"It's my dream project as creative producer. I will be working with India's celebrated creative team, and make sure that it's a visual treat for audiences. I feel that this is the right time to tell the story of Anandamath. The story of Sanyasis who fought against the British Raj and sowed the seed of independence," says Mukherjee.

Sujoyy Kuttiy, on his parts, says, "I am glad that we are revisiting classics. As an executive producer, I am excited to recreate the magic of Vande Mataram on screen. I have worked with Vijayendra sir in Manikarnika and also worked closely with him on a couple of other projects too. When Ram Kamal approached me with 1770 Ek Sangram, I immediately thought of Vijayendra sir, because of its scale and structure. I am glad that we have young producers like Shhailendra Kkumar and Suraj Sharma who believe that the screenplay is the real hero of the film. Once we are ready with the first draft of the screenplay we will start locking our main leads."

"When Sujoyy Kuttiy approached me for Anandamath, I was a bit taken aback. I had read the novel many years ago, and frankly speaking I didn't feel that today's generation would be able to connect with the subject. But when I met Ram Kamal and he shared his vision on Anandamath, he had a completely different take on the novel. It was commercial and connected with human emotions. After a couple of sessions, now I am excited to work on the subject with a completely fresh perspective. It will be a huge challenge for me, to recreate the magic of Anandamath," said veteran writer KV Vijayendra Prasad.

This mega budget feature film will be shot in Hyderabad, West Bengal and London. Young producer Suraj Sharma from PK Entertainment says, "As a student I was inspired by movies based on novels. I have grown up watching films like Lagaan, Jodha Akhbar, Bajirao Mastani and Bahubaali. We read Bankim Chandra's work in our school, but they didn't have Anandamath in the syllabus. So when Ram Kamal sir, narrated the story, I was excited. Unfortunately people forgotten these gems that we have in our literature. I was certain that I would like to debut as a producer with a film that would connect with the soul of India. I am just 21, and I am grateful that I have such veterans like Sujay Kutty, Vijayendra sir and Shhailendra ji, heading the creative aspect of 1770 Ek Sangram."

Currently the makers are busy shuttling between Mumbai and Hyderabad to lock the first draft of the screenplay. By the end of May, they will be releasing the teaser poster. "We are expecting to shoot from October, while we will need 120 days of pre-production. This is a mammoth project, and requires a massive budget to mount. It will take almost a year and half to make this film," says Mukherjee. After all, it's bringing back and recreating an often forgotten chapter of India's freedom movement and will need lot of unshackling of ideas and creativity.