Deepika brought Kalpana Dutta to life, says Gowariker

Mumbai: Filmmaker Ashutosh Gowariker says actor Deepika Padukone has brought energy and feistiness to the character of Kalpana Dutta, the 17-year-old revolutionary of the Chittagong Uprising, on whom his next film is based.

Deepika is paired opposite Abhishek Bachchan in Gowariker`s film ‘Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey’, and Gowariker found Deepika`s efforts to breathe life into the character very endearing. "She has brought energy and feistiness into the character," he said. The film which is a period thriller is inspired by a true event and based on the book "Do and Die" written by Manini Chatterjee, Kalapana`s daughter-in-law. "Kalpana Dutta was just 17 when the Chittagong Uprising took place. She was a voracious reader and was inspired by stories of the youngest revolutionaries. Along with her friend Pritilata Wadadar, she played different roles within the revolutionary movement, including that of a courier-transporting acid from Calcutta to Chittagong. "After she was released in May 1939 from jail she got married to communist leader P C Joshi. The author is her daughter-in-law," said the filmmaker. The film which centres on the Chittagong Uprising of the 1930s, has been shot mostly in Goa along with portions in Mumbai. PTI