Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi makers release first look of Jisshu Sengupta, Atul Kulkarni's characters

Actor Jisshu Sengupta, who has impressed critics and audiences with his acting and performance in Raees (2016), is all set to portray the character of Rani Lakshmibai’s husband Maharaja Gangadhar Rao in Kangana Ranaut -starrer  Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi . The movie showcases the entire story and life of the country’s first and only female warrior queen Rani LaxmiBai, which will be played by national award winning actress Kangana Ranaut . The actor who has always experimented with his roles right from playing a vicious dacoit in Srijit Mukherjee’s RajKahini to a half-naked sadhu in Srijit Mukherjee’s Ek Je Chhilo Raja (EJCR), surely looks magnificent as a king in the film. [caption id=“attachment_5731481” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Jisshu Sengupta’s look in Manikarnika[/caption] Jisshu’s character in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi is one of the lesser known kings of his era and time and had immense interest for performing in arts, theatre and music. He was also very liberal and a loving husband who always was supportive towards Manikarnika and gave unconditional moral support to especially her warrior side. To profess his love for his wife Manikarnika, he had built the largest library of that time in India inside the palace because Manikarnika loved reading books. According to Jisshu, it was exciting and challenging for him to portray this role. “Every aspect of shooting has been special for me. I was essaying the character of a Sadhu in Srijit’s EJCR and also a king in Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. It was hard to keep switching roles. But when it comes to Gangadhar, I enjoyed the depiction. It feels good when mainstream cinema acknowledges regional actors like me for roles that are generally played by more commercial Bollywood actors’’, the actor said in a statement. Atul Kulkarni will be seen essaying the role of Tatya Tope in Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi. Tatya was like a brother to Manikarnika. Manikarnika and Tatya practiced sword fighting together and the grew up together. He later joined her army to fight against the British. [caption id=“attachment_5731531” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Atul Kulkarni’s first look for Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi[/caption] Produced by Zee Studios in association with Kamal Jain and Nishant Pitti, the film also marks the big transition and Bollywood debut of television sensation Ankita Lokhande who will be seen portraying the character of JhalkariBai who is queen’s closest aide and confidant in the film. There’s a stellar ensemble cast that includes Atul Kulkarni as Tatya Tope, Suresh Oberoi as Bajirao 2, and Danny Denzongpa as Ghulam Ghaus Khan among others. The film is scheduled to release on 25 January, 2019 in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu simultaneously.