“Main wo mashal banungi jo har Bharatiya ke andar aazadi ki bhookh ban kar dekhegi”, This power packed dialogue brings alive the sentiment of patriotism and affinity towards the country in every Indian. Similar feeling was experienced by a young girl Manikarnika who rose to becoming the bravest warrior queen the nation had ever seen. Touted as the ‘man amongst the mutineers’ by the British, Rani Lakshmi Bai is an embodiment of grit and determination.
Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi captures the true spirit of a fierce queen who refused to cede control of her kingdom to the British following her husband’s death and who fought valiantly alongside her troops on the battlefield. Named as Manikarnika at birth, she was given the name of ‘Lakshmi Bai’ post her marriage with Maharaja of Jhansi, Raja Gangadhar in honour of the Hindi goddess Lakshmi. The movie marks the directorial debut of Kangana who also essays the titular role of the warrior queen. The feisty actress is joined by a stellar star-cast comprising of Danny Denzongpa, Suresh Oberoi, Jisshu Sengupta, Atul Kulkarni, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub and Ankita Lokhande who makes her big screen debut with the movie. Showcasing the tale of valour and bravery, Zee Cinema will be airing the World Television Premiere of Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi at 8PM.
Kangana Ranaut who takes on the mantle of the director along with essaying the titular role said, “When Manikarnika came to me it was just an idea. We as a team, collectively built it into something that today can be watched and sort of be evaluated, by people who are living outside of it. It was quite a demanding film, in terms of the war scenes, particularly, to work with horses, and double swords. This is something I had never attempted before. From my first film to Manikarnika, my journey has been quite enriching. To play a real-life warrior queen who takes on the mighty British army is by far the most physically demanding role of my career. This was an extremely great opportunity for me, something that I will value for life. Having learnt of Rani Lakshmi Bai’s larger than life legacy, knowing that even today she is celebrated as a national hero, I couldn’t have asked for a better directorial debut. With Manikarnika making its World Television Premiere on Zee Cinema, I am looking forward to the movie being liked by the masses, while also making for an inspirational watch for children.”
The historical war drama comprises an eight-song playlist, penned by Prasoon Joshi and composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The album features melodious live orchestration, while others have been crafted with minimal music and the biopic gives the trio enough room to explore a range of moods within the patriotic period film template. The song ‘Bharat’ is an amalgamation of melody and emotions and Prasoon Joshi’s powerful lines, ‘Main rahoon ya na rahoon Bhaarat yeh rehna chahiye’ perfectly summarises the feeling of patriotism. The other songs in the album- ‘Vijayi Bhava’, ‘Bolo Kab Pratikar Karoge’, ‘Rajaji’, ‘Tak Taki’ and ‘Dankila’ are melodious and connect to one’s core.
Witness Rani Lakshmi Bai’s grit, determination and valour as Zee Cinema airs the World Television Premiere of Manikarnika: The Queen Jhansi on Saturday, 14th September 2019 at 8PM!