Mahesh Manjrekar faces the challenge of playing a Eunuch in his next ‘Rajjo’

Mahesh Manjrekar faces the challenge of playing a Eunuch in his next ‘Rajjo’!

Mahesh Manjrekar plays the character of Begum which is testing his acting abilities, while the elaborate make-up and hairdo his patience. Mahesh Manjrekar laughs, “Getting ready is a big issue for me as it takes hours. The make-up, the hairdo and donning an elaborate co stume consumes so much time. I now realize what our heroines go through day in and out.” Manjrekar says that he accepted the role because he had never played a hijra before. He explains, “It was something very out of the box for me. Also, I have taken utmost care not to give a stereotypical portrayal of the character. Eunuchs are human beings experiencing the same emotions. I have tried to keep the depiction as normal as possible. If there is a bad side, there is a good side too.”
Debutant director Vishwas Patil says, “Mahesh fits the part to the T. He is a versatile actor and has done a brilliant job.” Talking about the film he reveals, “Rajjo is a love story between a Muslim nautch girl and a Brahmin boy. Though primarily a love story, it also looks into the issue of the mujra houses that are dying a slow death in today’s competitive world of high rises and corruption. There was a time when areas like Mumbai Central and Nagpada were known for kothewallis and their kothas. In fact, I have seen life closely in those areas when I used to be there a decade ago. I met eunuchs too. It has now inspired me to write the script.”
Besides Manjrekar, Rajjo also stars Prakash Raj, Jaya Prada, Paras Arora, Tanushree Chakraborty, Dalip Tahil and Swati Chitnis. Also on board are music director Uttam Singh and ace cinematographer Binod Pradhan. Four Pillars International Pvt Ltd are the producers of the film.