Gulf Kannadiga - a reflection of Karnataka in the Gulf

ಮು೦ಬೈಯ ಹುಡುಗಿಯರಾದ ನೀಲಾಕ್ಷಿ ಸಿ೦ಗ್, ಅವ೦ತಿಕಾ ಶರ್ಮ ಮತ್ತು ಅನಯ ದಾಸ್ ಅವರು `ಜಾನ್ಸಿ ಕಿ ರಾಣಿ' ಚಿತ್ರದಲ್ಲಿ ಅಭ್ನಯಿಸಲಿದ್ದಾರೆ.

Mumbai girls Neelakshi Singh, Avantika Sharma and Anaya Das began shooting for the film Jhansi Ki Rani – The Great Escape. The film based on the British version of the historic tale of the Jhansi Ki Rani is controversial in nature but is based on authentic records by a British historian as mentioned in his books. The film produced by the Cochin-based Red Ruby Films is being made in Tamil, but will be dubbed in about four additional languages including Hindi, Bengali and English.

It is a big budget film by South film industry standards and is primarily a fictionalized version of the historical narrative of the British General Sir Hugh Rose who had commented that the Rani of Jhansi was "remarkable for her beauty, cleverness and perseverance" was "the most dangerous of all the rebel leaders. In this film, the Rani uses the charms and gullibility of the young Rachel Nunes played by the sexy Avantika Sharma against her own father –a colonel in the British army. Rachel Nunes falls in love with one of the soilders in the Rani’s army who is asked to kidnap and elope with the 20-year-old thus distracting and delaying her father who is hot in pursuit of the Rani’s unorganised army of women volunteers.

According to Flynn Remedios, publicist and spokesperson for Red Ruby Films, this film is bound to create a big controversy as it shows the Rani as a scheming, devious woman who would stop at nothing to reach her goal which is defending Jhansi. "All is fair in love and war," was apparently Rani Laxmi bai’s motto when she used some ‘women of the night’ in her army to seduce and distract the British soilders during the seige of Jhansi, says Flynn Remedios, adding that this fact has been probably ommitted by Indian historians. "Since there is no concrete historical evidence of this and is only mentioned once by one British writer – a former officer in the British army, it may be considered as part fiction. The script of the movie uses some filmi licence," explains Flynn Remedios.

In this film, the badly wounded Rani Laxmibai escapes from the battle of Gwalior thanks to some quick thinking by her handmaid (played by Anaya Das). A captian in the British army Captian Rheese has documented the Rani’s escape stating that "no corpse was found". In this film, the badly-wounded Rani lives much longer in hiding mourning the brutal hanging of her father Moropant Tambey after the British captured Jhansi. Her handmaid or dasi plays the role of a nautch girl entertaining the fatigued British soldiers and successfully delays the British advance.

While Neelakshi Singh plays Rani Laxmibai, Avantika Sharma is the 20-year-old daughter of a British colonel. Anaya Das plays the dasi or handmaid of Jhansi ki Rani who helped her to escape from the British onslaught.