Tabu: 'Wins the Race'

MUMBAI (India): First it was Rani Mukherjee. Then it was Konkona Sen Sharma. However, in a last minute turn of events, Konkona is bring replaced by Tabu in Mira Nair's adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri's The Namesake.

Shooting for the film will begin in New York in the end of March. But before your mind starts working overtime on what must have gone wrong leading to a replacement, here are some factual details.

A change in the shooting schedule of The Namesake unfortunately led to a clash of dates with Aparna Sen' 15 Park Avenue where Konkona is supposed to play a schizophrenic character. Nair is hopeful about working with Konkona in future though.

"Aparnadi is brilliant to have nourished Konkona. I know that they will both make another tremendous film together. Konkona and I will work together to create some of our own magic one day soon," Nair said. As far as Tabu is concerned, Nair said that she has always wanted to direct the actress. In fact, four years ago Nair had cast the actress in a unmade film.

Tabu, Nair feels, has the range, depth and "impressive absence of vanity in her acting" that is just right to portray how Ashima's character evolves from a newly wed wife to a widow. In a sense, the portrayal of Madhabi Mukherjee in the classic Charulata and Supriya Choudhury in Meghe Daka Tara will act as an inspiration for the manner in which Nair wants the portrayal of Ashima on the big screen.

"I want to make this a classic and poignant story with hot, meditative strokes. I'd want to capture the gothic bustle of old Bengal against the pulsating new look of young, cool desi power in New York City" said Nair.

Tabu, who is gearing up to shoot Zoya Akhtar's directorial debut Lucky By Chance , is also quite happy with this. Apart from Chitra Devakaruni Banerjee, Jhumpa Lahiri also happens to be one of Tabu's favourite authors. Moreover, shooting for the film will also bring her back to Kolkata, a city that has always attracted her for its warmth. Irrfan, her co-actor in Mian Maqbool, will play Tabu's husband in the film.●