The Hindi version of Rangabati from Nila Madhab Panda’s much-awaited film Kaun Kitney Paani Mein is launching today on YouTube (today). The song has been inspired by the Sambalpuri cult hit Rangabati and is Madhab’s tribute to the composer and creators of the original song. The acclaimed director says, “I am very proud to bring the song and the Sambalpuri flavor into Bollywood and Hindi cinema. The song is all the more important and of great significance, since my film is based in Odisha. And coming from the Oriya community myself, the song is a tribute to its original creators and composers at a National level.”
The beautifully choreographed number has Radhika Aptey reveal her dancing avatar on the big screen for the first time as she dances gracefully to the tune of Rangabati. The melodious track sung by Rekha Rao and Krishna Beura also features Odiya actress Prakriti Mishra and famous Odishi dancer Saswat Joshi. The music has been composed by KB tunes, while the lyrics are by Protiqe Mojoomdar. The filmmaker shares that it’s a matter of great pride and honour for him to be able to present the song to the Hindi audiences as well.
The Sambalpuri song, Rangabati is easily the most popular song in Odisha, ever since it was first recorded in the mid-1970s. Written by Mitrabhanu Gauntia, composed by Prabhudatta Pradhan and sung by Jitendra Haripal and Krishna Patel, the cult classic continues to be a hit in popular culture too. Talking about his version of the song, Madhab adds, “The Rangabati song in my film is in Hindi and has been inspired by the original cult classic. The idea is to share and showcase the rich culture on a wider scale and what better platform than to have it in a Bollywood film.”
Kaun Kitney Paani Mein is Nila Madhab Panda’s most ambitious film yet and deals with the most critical challenge facing our generation and those to come – WATER! Starring Kunal Kapoor, Radhika Apte, Gulshan Grover and Saurabh Shukla, the film has been Funded by One Drop Foundation, Montreal and Produced by Eleeanora Images and One Drop Foundation and is slated to release on August 28th 2015.